Family is Everything ALTERNATIVE VERSION
by moondancer7825
Summary: The war is over and Harry is starting his life with Severus and Lucius. The arrival of his godson changes things causing him to flee the country. This is an alternative to my original story line. BRIEF HP/SS/LM, HP/SS. AU/OOC MPREG
1. Chapter 1

**Family is Everything**

**Alternative Version**

**Disclaimer:** While I love the books, if I owned the rights to them, the story would have been different.

**Summary:** The war is over and Harry is starting his life with Severus and Lucius. The arrival of his godson changes his perspective on the men in his life causing him to flee the country. This is an alternative to my original story line. HP/SS/LM, HP/SS AU/OOC MPREG

**IMPORTANT NOTE**

**I have written this alternative version to my Family is Everything story. It is a much shorter although sweeter version. The first three chapters of each of the two stories are word for word identical so if you have already read them then please feel free to skip to chapter 4. This is where the story lines changes.**

**Story Notes: **

Lucius turned spy after The Chamber of Secrets when he realized what the diary was. His motives for the diary incident were due to the feud between his family and the Weasleys not to bring back the Dark Lord.

Draco was sent out of the country as soon as he turned 17 to spare him from the war as much as possible.

Lucius and Severus have been in a relationship since Lucius turned spy and divorced his wife. For two years they struggled with their attraction to Harry and finally formed a triad after the Dark Lord's defeat.

* * *

Eighteen year old Harry Potter slowly walked up the path from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts. As he did he surveyed the clean up and construction taking place all over the grounds. Wizards, witches, house-elves and all manner of other creatures worked together for the second time in centuries to achieve a common goal, returning the beautiful grounds of Hogwarts to the way they used to be. The way the grounds looked before the final battle that had taken place just one month before.

Harry was saddened by the damage that he could see in every direction he looked. His first and only home had been destroyed that night. While true that it did still stand and was still inhabitable in parts, many other parts would need to be replaced. Gryffindor tower had been reduced to rubble, the headmasters' as well. Hagrid's hut was burned to the ground. The stables were demolished allowing some of Hagrid's animals to run free. Harry gave a quiet chuckle watching Charlie Weasley and a few of his dragon handler friends running around trying to subdue the two griffins that had attempted to make their home in the middle of the lake. Of course the giant squid was not helping matters, what with swinging it's tentacles at the poor handlers every time they got too close.

Turning a little further towards the castle his eyes fell upon the memorial that had been built to commemorate those that fell during the battle. While the numbers were fairly low for the light side, they were devastating to Harry. While Harry stood between Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy, performing the spell that would permanently send the Dark Lord to hell, all around him his friends and family were falling in battle. Some never to get up again.

Of the Weasley's only Charlie, Bill, and George survived. If you can call it surviving. Charlie had only minor injuries that healed quickly. Bill had been mauled by Greyback and while he wasn't a full werewolf, he would never be the same again. Scars marred his once handsome face and his personality was a little more wolfish even if he would never actually transform. George was, in a way, the worst injured. Not only did he lose his left leg to a severing hex, in a sense he lost his right arm as well. His twin. Fred was felled by an Avada Kedavra shot at his back by the bitch Bellatrix. The loss of his twin had sent George into a horrible depression leaving him locked in St. Mungos on suicide watch.

Poor Ron had died pushing Hermione out of the way of a dark arts spell that ended up slicing him completely through across the chest. Unfortunately he didn't succeed in saving Hermione as the spell clipped her neck severing an artery. She bled out before anyone realized she was even injured.

Molly, Arthur, and Ginny died while protecting the younger years that were hidden in the Room of Requirements. Evidently the magic of the room was no match for the club of a giant being swung at the castle walls. The back wall of the room exploded with debris flying everywhere killing the three Weasleys and fifteen children between the ages of eleven and fourteen.

Perhaps the toughest blow to the family was the death of Percy. It was not his death that hurt, it was the ugly black skull and snake tattoo that was discovered on his left forearm peeking out from his torn and tattered robs.

A little stirring and soft whimper brought Harry's attention to the small bundle in his arms. Looking at the two month old infant brought tears to his eyes. He remembered very well the day that Remus and Tonks told him they were expecting and asked him to be the child's godfather. He was overjoyed and swore he would be the best godfather any child could ever ask for. Through out the pregnancy, Tonks stayed with her parents under a fidelius charm. Remus and Harry begged her to stay there after little Teddy was born and for awhile she did. Increasing worry for her husband pushed her to leave her newborn son with his grandparents and join Remus to prepare for battle.

Teddy was only 4 weeks old on the night of the final battle. The night he became an orphan. Remus had fallen to a stunner thrown by Dolohov and was chained with silver to a tree in an attempt to draw Harry out. Tonks was so distraught over her husband's condition she did not realize she was running into a trap as she ran to try and free him. Dolohov was about to stun her when he realized the trap was no longer needed as Harry was already battling the Dark Lord. Instead he disillusioned himself and allowed Tonks to attempt to free her love. While she was undoing the chains, Dolohov walked up behind her stabbing her through the heart with a silver sword he had transfigured from a tree limb. That one swing was all it took to orphan young Teddy as the blade didn't stop and continued on to impale Remus as well.

When the battle was over, Harry spent many hours comforting those that lost loved ones and seeing that the injured were tended. Finally; on the verge of collapse, Severus and Lucius, both of which had been spies for years, picked up the battle worn young man and carried him to their rooms in the dungeons. Thankfully, one level of the castle that was mostly unharmed. Cradled in between the two men he once despised, he allowed them to strip him down and together the three climbed into the shower to wash of the blood and grim from the night. After a long hot shower, they helped the younger man into some clean pajama bottoms and took turns treating each other's wounds. As they climbed in bed together Harry noticed something different about Severus' arm. Looking to Lucius he saw the same thing. The dark mark was gone. "You're free." Harry whispered, "You're finally free." Lucius looked at his arm, only just now realizing that his pale skin was completely bare for the first time in twenty years. "No Love," Lucius said, "We're all free." And with that the three men fell into a peaceful sleep for the first time in many years. Safe in the knowledge that the Dark Lord was gone for good and they were free to finally be together.

That night was the first of many that the three spent together. After fighting the attraction for two years, they finally gave in and allowed themselves to be truly happy. Plans were being made to remodel Malfoy Manor to make it more fitting to the triad as neither Spinners End nor Grimmuald Place were acceptable for them to live in. Both Severus and Harry saw them as prisons not homes.

Last night Harry received an owl from Andromeda asking him to come see her as soon as possible regarding custody of Teddy. Harry was thrilled to be able to have the chance to raise his godson and promptly told Lucius that they would need to remodel a room into a nursery near the master bedroom so that Harry would be close if the baby woke in the middle of the night. Lucius' already pale skin seemed to pale further at this comment. "I thought Theodore was perfectly fine being raised by Andromeda," said Lucius. Harry gave him an odd look and replied, "Well, of course he's fine being raised there for now but Andy is getting old and even though she loves Teddy, she's not in any condition to be permanently raising a child. Besides, he's my godson and I intend to raise him." Harry turned his back to get a drink and didn't see the glare aimed at him from Lucius or the look of concern that Severus sent the older man. Just then a knock sounded at the door pulling all of their thoughts to the headmaster and the rebuilding of the school.

Harry pulled himself out of his thoughts and smiled down at the little one in his arms peering around him. "I wish that it was your parents raising you with me visiting on the weekends to spoil you rotten but I promise we'll have a good life together. I'm going to raise you with all the love that I never had as a child and you will never truly want for anything. Come on little man, I think it's time to introduce you properly to the two men that are going to help me raise you."

Harry was speaking softly to Teddy when he came upon the portrait hiding the entrance to Severus' quarters. He was about to speak the password when he heard yelling from inside. He paused to listen to see what he was about to walk into.

"I don't care Severus; I've done my duty and given an heir to my family name. I will not raise another child!"

"Lucius, please, you must see this from Harry's point of view. Teddy is the only family he has left. Family is everything to him. You can not just ask him to walk away from the responsibility he has to the child. Besides he is young. You should know by now that he would want to have children. It's always been a dream of his to have a big family. How can you ask him to give up his dream because you don't want it?"

"It's easy; I will not raise that half-breed. And I will not be having anymore children. Either he realizes that or he has no part in my future."

"Lucius, please, be reasonable."

"No. I've made my decision and now you must make yours. Do you stand by me in this, or do you throw away a 6 year relationship over Harry?"

"I love you Lucius and I don't want to lose you…"

Harry didn't wait around to hear anymore. With tears streaming down his face he bolted out of the dungeons as fast as he could. He didn't stop running until he reached Professor Dumbledore's new office near the Great Hall. Panting, crying, and trying to sooth the now terrified infant, he pounded on the office door.

"Harry my boy, has something happened? Are you alright?"

"Albus, may we come in? I need to speak with you urgently."

Albus looked into those startling green eyes filled with pain as the tears streaked down Harry's face. "Come in my son, come in."


	2. Chapter 2

**Family is Everything**

**Alternative Version**

**Disclaimer:** While I love the books, if I owned the rights to them, the story would have been different.

**Summary:** The war is over and Harry is starting his life with Severus and Lucius. The arrival of his godson changes his perspective on the men in his life causing him to flee the country. This is an alternative to my original story line. HP/SS/LM, HP/SS AU/OOC MPREG

**IMPORTANT NOTE**

**I have written this alternative version to my Family is Everything story. It is a much shorter although sweeter version. The first three chapters of each of the two stories are word for word identical so if you have already read them then please feel free to skip to chapter 4. This is where the story lines changes.**

**Previously in Family is Everything:**

"_Albus, may we come in? I need to speak with you urgently."_

_Albus looked into those startling green eyes filled with pain as the tears streaked down _

_Harry's face. "Come in my son, come in."_

* * *

Albus moved aside to allow Harry and Teddy to enter and ushered them to a nearby couch where Harry proceeded to collapse into Albus' arms. Not many people knew but Albus and Harry had become quite close through the last few years. In fact, since the death of Sirius, Albus had come to see Harry as his son in all but blood. He loved the boy and would do anything to wipe the devastation from his face.

"Harry, tell me what has happened" Albus whispered while trying to remove the still crying infant from his distraught godfather's arms.

"They… they… they don't want us!"

"Now Harry I'm sure that's not true. All three of you seemed perfectly content with each other when I left last night. How could you possibly have come to that conclusion?" Albus was very confused. Just last night they seemed to have a perfect relationship. In fact he was amazed at how quickly they'd moved into a comfortable routine. You'd think that they had been together for years instead of weeks.

Having succeeded in quieting the child, Albus conjured a bouncy seat and placed the child in it to play with the enchanted quidditch mobile. A wave of his wand conjured a full tea service which he prepared to Harry's liking and turned back to listen to his story. Harry proceeded to tell him everything. From Lucius cold inquires of why he wanted to raise Teddy to the end of the argument he'd overheard before seeking out the headmaster.

By the time he'd finished speaking, his whimpering had turned back to full fledged tears while Albus was seeing red. HOW DARE THEY! Ok he could see that it was all Lucius doing but Severus wasn't standing up to him so he was just as at fault in Albus' mind.

Who did Lucius think he was demanding such things? He'd already raised an heir, indeed! He knew the man didn't raise Draco. The only one raising him had been house-elves. And just because he had an heir, what about the other two family names? Harry was the last Potter and Severus, while being a Snape, was the last living Prince. Where their lines just supposed to die out because Lucius couldn't be bothered to "raise" any more children?

Then his mind turned to the comments about Teddy. A half-breed? Yes, yes, his father was a werewolf but honestly, to be so cruel to a newborn babe! Albus had been naïve enough to believe that Lucius had truly stopped believing that pureblood nonsense. After all, what right did he have to call anyone a half-breed when Lucius himself was part Veela? Now he was seeing the light, unfortunately it was coming at the cost of his son's fragile self-esteem.

Anyone that saw Albus right now would wonder how he could have ever been described as being a kindly grandfather type. He was seething. He wanted nothing more than to torture those men for the torment they caused his son. His son, Oh Goddess! How was he going to help his son get through this? Ok first things first. Calm the boy; ask his intentions and then plan. Albus wasn't considered a master manipulator and chess player for nothing. He'd figure out a way to help Harry get through this. With that he turned from his thoughts and proceeded with damage control.

"Come now Harry, you must calm down so that we can think about this logically and decide where to go from here. Come on now, dry those tears and think about little Teddy and his needs. As much as you want to wallow in self pity, you're a father now and the boy needs you."

Teddy picked that moment to grow bored with his toy and started to whimper to be fed. Harry let out a sad laugh and prepared the babe a bottle.

"Hush little one, I got you and no matter what anyone says or does, I'm never letting you go. I promise you'll always have me." Settling back on the couch to feed Teddy he turned to Albus.

"I know you wanted me to take the DADA post in the fall but I just can't stay. I can't walk around every day seeing their faces knowing how they really feel about us. And I won't raise Teddy around people that can treat him like they did."

"I understand Harry but where do you plan on going?"

"I know that the Potters and Blacks each have a few homes that I can choose from," he paused biting his lower lip in thought. "I think though, after everything I've been through, I want," he paused again to get the courage to tell his mentor and father figure what he was sure would be a shock. "."

"I'm sorry but can you repeat that a little slower," Albus replied with a smile on his face.

"I want to leave the wizarding world for awhile. I'm tired of the fame and attention and I just want to be a normal young man for awhile. Besides in the muggle world, there is less chance that I'll run into someone that knows the bloody arses I'm leaving."

"Ahh, I understand. While it's my hope that you won't leave us for long, I will support you in your need to do this.

"Thank you Albus."

"Do you have any idea of a destination?"

"I was kind of leaning towards America. Maybe California as I'd like to live near the water."

"I think that would be a wonderful idea. There is even a wizarding village near San Francisco if you would need anything or just would like to visit."

"I'll keep that in mind. Right now I think I need to change this little guy and send an elf to pack my things before heading to Gringotts to take care of some business."

"Before you do that, there is something I would like to discuss with you. For years I've wanted to do this but with the war it wasn't possible. I know that you're a little old for it; however, I would like to offer none the less. I've always considered you as family and the past few years as the son I never had. Before you leave I would like it very much if you would allow me to make that official."

"You… you… you want to adopt me?" Harry nearly chocked on the words as he tried to get them out. Tears starting to form in his eyes again.

"Yes Harry. I would like that very much. I have never had an heir and I can not think of anyone that would make me prouder to have as my son."

Harry took a deep breath before replying, "I… I'd like that very much," with a genuine smile on his face.

"Good. Then why don't you take care of the things you need to do and then we can head off to Gringotts where we can complete the adoption papers as well as the financial arrangements that you need to make."

"Alright. DOBBY." With a pop the exuberant little house elf arrived.

"What can Dobby be doings for Master Harry Potter Sir?

"Dobby, I need you to do me a favor. Now, you must do this as quietly as you can without anyone seeing you. I need you to go down to Professor Snape's quarters and pack all of my things as quickly as you can and then come back here."

"Yes Master Harry Potter Sir. Dobby be doing that right away and Dobby not be letting Master Harry Potter Sirs two snakes see him do it."

"Thank you Dobby."

By the time Harry was done changing the baby, Dobby had popped back in with his trunk.

"Thank you Dobby. You've been a truly great friend during my time here. I'm gonna miss you." Harry bent down to give the suddenly sad elf a hug. When he pulled back he noticed that Dobby was crying as well.

"Dobby, there is one more task I'd like you to complete. I'm going to write a letter and I'd like you to give it to Professor Snape but I want you to wait and give it to him tonight at dinner. Can you do that for me? Hopefully I'll have enough time to get away before he realizes I'm gone."

"Yes Master Harry Potter Sir. Dobby be waiting until dinner to give the letter to Master Harry Potter Sirs snake."

"Thank you again Dobby. Albus would you mind holding Teddy while I write the letter."

"Not a problem my son. Why don't I take him down to watch the show the dragon handlers are putting on near the lake? This way you can take your time and have your privacy to do what you need."

"Thank you Albus."

An hour later Harry emerged from Albus' office with a newly transfigured bottomless bag on his shoulder which held both his and his new son's only possessions. Catching up with Albus and a giggling Teddy, they began a somewhat slow walk to the gate. Upon reaching the end of the anti-apparition wards, Harry turned and whispered a soft "good-bye."

Four hours later, a newly dubbed Harry Potter-Black-Dumbledore hugged his father good-bye before turning and boarding a plane to America.

Albus stood staring out the window watching the plane take flight with a single tear rolling down his face. "Come back to us soon my son. No matter what you believe your home is here with us. Be safe."


	3. Chapter 3

**Family is Everything**

**Alternative Version**

**Disclaimer:** While I love the books, if I owned the rights to them, the story would have been different.

**Summary:** The war is over and Harry is starting his life with Severus and Lucius. The arrival of his godson changes his perspective on the men in his life causing him to flee the country. This is an alternative to my original story line. HP/SS/LM, HP/SS. AU/OOC MPREG

**IMPORTANT NOTE**

**I have written this alternative version to my Family is Everything story. It is a much shorter although sweeter version. The first three chapters of each of the two stories are word for word identical so if you have already read them then please feel free to skip to chapter 4. This is where the story lines changes.**

* * *

Earlier that day in the personal chambers of Potion Master Professor Severus Snape…

Having returned from an early meeting with the team working to remodel Malfoy Manor, Lucius walked into Severus quarters and hung up his cloak. Finding the living room and bedroom empty, he entered Severus private potions lab. Upon noticing that Severus had not yet started the potion, he snuck up behind the man and slithered his arms around his waist, placing a gentle kiss on Severus neck before whispering to him.

"Hello Love."

Twisting in Lucius grasp, Severus turned and placed a soft kiss on Lucius lips. Not liking the gentleness of it, Lucius quickly deepened the kiss into one that was more passionate. Nearly brutal in its intensity.

"Well hello to you too."

"And where has our sexy little lion disappeared to?"

Severus had a feeling that this wasn't going to go over very well but knew that he couldn't avoid the subject for long.

"He has gone to meet with Andromeda about the custody papers and bringing Teddy to live here in the castle."

"HE'S DONE WHAT!? Why would he do such as stupid thing without talking with us first?"

Lucius quickly pulled away from Severus and started pacing the room. The move was so fast that he practically pushed the other man into the worktable.

"Well, he did mention it last night Lucius. Granted I thought we should have discussed it more but we both knew he would be bringing the child back with him to raise."

"We both knew no such thing!"

"What are you on about? Surely you realized that he has every intention on raising the child. He even mentioned turning one of the rooms near us in the manor into a nursery."

"Like I would ever allow such a thing to happen. He may have mentioned it; however, it was not set in stone and I have no intention on allowing it to happen."

Severus was startled by this comment. Of course Harry would want the nursery near the master bedroom. The young man was obsessed with the little family he had left and would want to be a hands on father figure for the child instead of having him room on the other side of the manor being raised by house-elves like Draco.

"Lucius, Harry is not like you. He wants to raise Teddy not foist him off on the elves."

"Foist him off on the elves? I don't care who raises him as long as it is done in someone else's home!"

"Are you seriously telling me you do not want Harry to take custody of the boy?"

"It's not that I do not want him to take custody. I refuse to allow it! I have done my penance in child rearing hell; let someone else raise the beast!"

That sent Severus' mind reeling and his shoulders slumped slightly as he processed what Lucius had said.

"I know that's how you feel Lucius, although I can not fathom your reasoning but you can not do this to Harry. If you do not pull yourself together and support him in this, you will push him away from you. Away from us."

The last was said so softly it almost wasn't heard. Severus couldn't believe what was happening. He thought he knew Lucius better than this. After all the years that they had been friends and the later years as lovers, he honestly thought that Lucius was over this superiority crap. How could he possibly be so blind? How could he possibly love someone that talks of a child in such a callus fashion?

"I don't care Severus; I've done my duty and given an heir to my family name. I will not raise another child!"

"Lucius, please, you must see this from Harry's point of view. Teddy is the only family he has left. Family is everything to him. You can not just ask him to walk away from the responsibility he has to the child. Besides he is young. You should know by now that he would want to have children. It's always been a dream of his to have a big family. How can you ask him to give up his dream because you don't want it?"

"It's easy; I will not raise that half-breed. And I will not be having anymore children. Either he realizes that or he has no part in my future."

"Lucius, please, be reasonable."

"No. I've made my decision and now you must make yours. Do you stand by me in this, or do you throw away a 6 year relationship over Harry?"

"I love you Lucius and I don't want to lose you bu…"

Lucius interrupted him with an exclamation of, "I knew you would see things my way. I…"

It was Severus turn to interrupt with a raise of his hand that had an effect similar to if he had used a Petrificus Totalus on his lover.

"You misunderstand me Lucius. Or rather, you didn't allow me to finish. I do not want to lose you; however, you are not the only one in this relationship who has wants and opinions. What about what Harry wants? What about what I want?"

"Wha…"

"You seem to forget that you are not the only one that is an heir to a family line. Would you in your arrogance and stubborn headedness go against your upbringing and effectively terminate three ancient and noble bloodlines?"

"What in the name of Merlin are you on about?"

"You have stated that YOU have given your family name an heir, what about Harry and I? Harry is the only heir of both the Potter and Black lines as I am the only heir to the Prince bloodline. Would you have all three of our lines end just to suit your demands?"

Lucius sneered, "I do not care what you have to do. If your lines die out, so be it. If you have to hire some whore to fulfill the obligation, so be it. I really do not care as long as the bastard is not brought into my life and home."

"So you would have Harry and I both have affairs and then dump the child with no care what so ever? I knew you could be a cruel bastard; however…"

CRACK

The move was so fast that Severus never saw the fist heading for his nose.

"You will not speak to me like that."

Severus looked up at him. One hand holding his bleeding nose, the other clutched tightly to his wand.

"Get out."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. GET. OUT!"

"Gladly. Perhaps by the time I return you will have come to your senses."

This time Severus really did cast the Petrificus Totalus spell on Lucius. Muttering a soft Episkey to repair his broken nose and a Scourgify to clean the blood off his face and robes. Severus then turned back to Lucius lying on the dungeon floor.

"You listen to me and listen well for I will not repeat myself. I may love you; however, I will not be treated like this. I am not some servant that you can order around and abuse as you please. And as of this moment we are no longer partners. No longer friends. I want you out of my quarters, out of this school, and out of my life! I have spent the last twenty years being ordered, manipulated and abused by a tyrant and the headmaster. I've served my time and I will not have YOU try to imprison me further. Now GET OUT!"

With that he conjured a snake that looked eerily similar to Nagini and cast Oppugno causing the snake to attack Lucius as he lifted the binding spell. Lucius bolted up as fast as he could and tore out of the dungeons bellowing, "THIS IS NOT OVER! NO ONE ELSE WILL EVER WANT YOU! YOU WILL BE BEGGING AT MY FEET FOR FORGIVNESS!" with the snake nipping at his heels.

Severus muttered a Finite Incantatem on the snake when Lucius was far enough away. Slamming the door, he instantly threw up locking and warding spells before collapsing on the floor in tears. Smacking his head repeatedly on the door he couldn't help but think how lucky he was to still have Harry. Lucius was right. Who else but those two would love him? He was nothing but an ugly old former death eater turned spy. He'd lived alone for years, pushing everyone aside, keeping to himself and an occasional acquaintance just to ensure he could do his job as a spy and come out of the war alive.

He was such a looser. Hell, he hardly had anything to his name. His grandparents disowned his mother for marrying a muggle. They took pity on him in later years by allowing him enough money to pay for his schooling and to earn his Masters. He knew from their will that if he had children with another witch or wizard, his children would inherit the entire Prince fortune; however, that did him little good and if he had children with a muggle, they too would be left with nothing.

Yes he had a house. Not much of one. After his mother's death he left it as quickly as possible and the house fell quickly into disrepair without him there to help his worthless muggle father keep up with the repairs.

He had a job. One that he really did not despise, despite popular opinion. Yes he hated the fact that most of the children were incompetent dunderheads when it came to potions yet there were a few each year that showed promise and the job did allow him to pursue his passion, research and development of potions. Despite the time constraints of teaching and being a spy for the light, he had still managed to create the Wolfsbane potion and the Anti-Cruciatus potion. One being helpful to allow werewolves to keep their minds during the full moon and the other helping to cure the affects of the Cruciatus curse. Both had brought him a sizeable income. He would have earned more from them if it was not for that ugly tattoo that once adorned his arm. So while the money was sizeable, it did not last long leaving him just as broke as he was before.

Severus dragged himself out of his depressing thoughts and headed for the bathroom. A nice long bath was just what he needed to start thinking clearly again. Hopefully by the time he was done, Harry would be home.

* * *

Severus was starting to get worried. Harry had been gone all day. It was now nearly dinner time and he had yet to hear from his young lover. Fearing that something might have happened to the danger magnet, he went to the floo to call Andromeda. Maybe he was still there just spending time with the family.

Severus tossed a handful of floo powder in the fire and when the flames turned green he kneeled down and stuck his head in.

"Andromeda Tonks, Tonks Cottage."

A few moments of spinning and his head appeared out of the fireplace in Tonks Cottage.

"Andromeda. Andromeda are you there?"

Severus heard soft footsteps before seeing the older woman walk into the room drying her hands on a dish towel.

"Severus, what can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if Harry was still with you. I would have thought he'd have returned by now and with a few Death Eaters still on the loose, I was a little concerned."

"Why no, Harry and Teddy left hours ago. I'm sure it's nothing. They have probably gone to Diagon Alley. Harry needed to pick up some items for Teddy. We decided that most of his stuff would stay here for when he visits so Harry needs to replace nearly an entire nursery full of stuff."

"Of course, I am ashamed to admit I had not thought of that my self. I am sorry to bother you. I am sure they will arrive any time now. Thank you Andromeda."

"It's alright; even though the war is over we still can't be too careful. Give me a call if he doesn't show up before dark. And please, as I have told you before, call me Andy."

"As you wish…Andy."

With that he pulled his head from the flames canceling that call. Of course he would need to go shopping. How could he forget that? He was just being foolish. Harry would be home safe and sound any time now with little Theodore. Teddy. Everyone seemed to call him Teddy and he should remember to do it as well. While he had time to kill, he might as well get started on building a room for Theo…Teddy. Since it was obvious they would not be moving into Malfoy Manor, they would need to create a nursery here for the child.

* * *

He had just finished putting the final touches on Teddy's new nursery when his clock chimed to tell him it was time to head to the Great Hall for dinner. Taking one last look around the room, he was proud of himself. The ceiling was charmed similar to the Great Hall, the only difference being that the ceiling would always shine with the evening stars and the glowing moon, no matter the time of day. The ceiling would change to reflect what constellations would shine above the castle each night.

The walls were painted with a forest scene with different animals roaming in and out of the trees and lounging by the brook. There were centaurs, unicorns, wild stallions, deer, griffins, panthers, birds, bears and even wolves. Every type of wild creature he could think of that would live in the forest.

Off to one side was a book case carved into the shape of a tree. A small toy box that looked like an exact duplicate of Hogwarts. And finally a wardrobe made of beautiful oak. On the other side of the room was the door to Teddy's own bathroom. While he was still young and would not need them for awhile, Severus had made a child's sized toilet and sink. The tub was a child's size version of the prefects tub, without the diving board. All in all he thought he did a good job. A small smile graced his face. Yes, Teddy was sure to like it here. All it needed was a bed and other items that Harry was sure to pick up while out shopping.

Turning on his heel, he headed out to dinner in the great hall. Despite the rough morning, he was happy with how things were turning out. He could not wait for Harry and Teddy to get home.

* * *

Poor Severus, just can't catch a break. I feel kind of bad for doing this to him. Coming up in the next chapter should be the letter and the return of Albus.


	4. Chapter 4

**Family is Everything**

**Alternative Version**

**Disclaimer: While I love the books, if I owned the rights to them, the story would have been different.**

**Summary: The war is over and Harry is starting his life with Severus and Lucius. The arrival of his godson changes his perspective on the men in his life causing him to flee the country. This is an alternative to my original story line. BRIEF HP/SS/LM, HP/SS. Ignores HBP and DH. AU/OOC MPREG**

**IMPORTANT NOTE**

**I have written this alternative version to my Family is Everything story. It is a much shorter although sweeter version. The first three chapters of each of the two stories are word for word identical so if you have already read them then please feel free to skip to chapter 4. This is where the story lines change. Part of this chapter will be in the original version as well but the majority of it will be different. I will mark where the difference begins so that there is no need to reread the same stuff.**

**I really need a beta, why? Because I realized another oops I made so I'm going to have to go back and fix it. Nothing worth re-reading the chapter for but so that you know, I'm going to go back to the conversation where Severus wants Albus to send Fawkes to Harry and take out the discussion about Fawkes all together. Since in the U.S. muggles know about magic it wouldn't be an issue for Fawkes to be seen and with Albus holding the political positions he has, he would know that. Sorry to those that are seeing this chapter for a second time.**

There is some major OOC in this chapter. I kind of had difficulty picturing Albus truly ticked off and certainly not saying anything inappropriate so be warned he does not sound like his normal grandfatherly self in this chapter.

And I promise to stop being mean to Severus soon. He'll be happy eventually.

* * *

Previously in Family is Everything"

_Turning on his heel, he headed out to dinner in the great hall. Despite the rough morning, he was happy with how things were turning out. He could not wait for Harry and Teddy to get home._

* * *

Severus arrived in the Great Hall with a flourish of his black teaching robes. School may be out for the summer but he still had a reputation to uphold. There were many people in residence at the castle due to all the construction there as well as the fact that many people had lost their homes during the latter stages of the war, so instead of the single large round table that was typical to holiday times, the hall was set up as it would be during a school year. Severus swept through the house tables and made his way up to the staff table where he took his typical seat to the left of the headmaster's chair which was surprisingly empty.

He was just starting on his meal when Fawkes appeared in a burst of flames trilling a somewhat sad sounding song. Fawkes dropped the letter he carried next to Severus plate and disappeared with another burst of flame. Severus was curious as to what the headmaster would want, or where he was that would require the use of Fawkes to get a message to him. Picking up the letter he opened it and noticed that it was short and to the point. If not a little cold sounding.

Severus Snape,

I have left the grounds to attend to some personal matters. I shall be returning in roughly half of an hour and I expect you to be waiting outside of my office when I arrive. We have much to discuss.

Albus Dumbledore

Severus had to wonder what had gotten Albus' garish robes into such a twist. It had been sometime since Albus had sent him a missive where not only was he addressed by first and last name, but Albus signed the same. Oh well he thought. He would just have to wait and see when the old codger arrived.

Severus was about half way through his meal when once again he was disturbed. This time by the usually hyperactive elf that Harry liked to keep around. What was his name again? Lobby? Cobby? He could never keep all those elves straight.

"Dobby be having a letter here for Master Snape."

Ahh, Dobby that was it. There must be something wrong with the elf. He wasn't as enthusiastic as he normally was and in fact, Severus would swear he saw tears in the creature's eyes.

"Dobby be telling Great Master Harry Potter Sir that he be giving letter to Master Snape at dinner time."

And with that he burst into mournful wails, handed the letter to Severus and popped out.

"What in the name of Merlin has gotten into that daft elf?"

Severus turned to the letter and was suddenly filled with a sense of trepidation. Why would Harry send an elf with a letter for him when he should be home soon? Actually, how had he sent it with the elf unless he was on the castle grounds but if he was in the castle, where was he? Uneasiness crept into him as he started to open the letter.

_**My Dearest Severus,**_

_**Although, I supposed I have no right to call you that any longer. Yet calling you Master Snape or Professor Snape causes a pang to my heart that seems to cut down to my very soul so if you don't mind, I'll stick with My Dearest Severus for just a little bit longer.**_

_**By the time Dobby delivers this to you, Teddy and I will be long gone. A few things have come to my attention today that forced me to reconsider where we stand. While it causes me great distress to leave, I fear it would cause even more to Teddy if we were to stay. **_

_**Part of me can not begin to comprehend all that transpired today. While another part of me knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. I'm nothing. Just an ugly freak with too many meaningless titles tacked on to the end of my name. I stupidly thought that you guys loved me and that would be enough. I see now how wrong I was. I can see now that your feelings for me do not run that deep. And why should they. You and Lucius were good together for a long time before I mucked things up by falling in love with you.**_

_**I wish to leave this with as much dignity as I have left so to make things less awkward for everyone; Teddy and I are leaving the country. I'm sure we will find somewhere to make our home and move on with our lives. Just as I am sure that you and Lucius will be happier without us ruining your plans.**_

_**You really do mean the world to me. I would not have survived this long without you watching over me and protecting me from the shadows. I know I could not have defeated the Dark Lord without you and Lucius standing beside me. And I know I would not have survived the loss of my family and friends without your shoulder to lean on. And I thank you for that. For all of it. **_

_**As much as it saddens me to say, it's time for me to grow up and stand on my own two feet. It's time to put aside childish dreams of happily ever after and knights in shining armor that would always be there. It's time for me to put aside the love I feel for you and concentrate on what is most important and that is my son, for despite his blood that is what he truly is now. I can not even begin to describe what he means to me. I would do anything for him. I would lay down my life if it meant protecting him. Just as I am laying down my heart because I know it's the only way to keep and protect him.**_

_**I guess I've blubbered enough and you're probably sick of reading anything that I have to say. So I'll close now. Albus and Teddy are wandering the grounds to give me time to write this up but we really must get going. **_

_**Good-bye my love. Take care of yourself. **_

_**Harry**_

Severus couldn't believe it. It couldn't be true. How could Harry do this to him? WHY would Harry do this to him? What on earth could have happened to make Harry run away? Surely he had shown Harry how much he loved him.

Yes they may have hated each other for years but he thought that they had moved past all that during Harry's training. The first few weeks had been difficult until Harry had had enough and lashed out at him. Calling him every name in the book and scream at him about how wrong Severus was about him. How he didn't know anything about the life he had lived. Finally Harry had blown up, unleashing all his pent up rage in a bout of accidental magic that was so strong all the windows in the room had shattered and Severus had been knocked unconscious when the outburst tossed him across the room. When he'd awoken in the hospital wing with a distraught Harry by his side, they'd talked. For hours they had talked about both of their lives and corrected a great many misconceptions. After that they had begun a tentative friendship that grew into attraction and finally love. At least for him it was love.

************THE TWO VERSIONS SPLIT HERE*************

He reread the letter and his heart plummeted. He bolted out of his seat so fast that the chair went careening back towards the wall behind the table. Trying to maintain what little decorum he had left; he quickly tore through the castle back to the safety of his dungeons. Tearing down the wards as he got close he yelled the password, rushing in and slamming the door behind him. He strode to his liquor cabinet and poured himself a drink of fire-whiskey. Downing it, he went to pour another when he suddenly became overwhelmed with rage and whipped the glass into the fire and proceeded to drink straight from the bottle, dropping to his knees as the tears began. This is how Albus found him nearly an hour later.

* * *

Albus arrived back at the school and headed straight to his office. He was slightly surprised when he arrived there and did not see his potions master. Severus was not one to ignore a summons from him regardless of what was occurring at the time without a damn good reason.

Albus entered his office and proceeded to pace. His thoughts went to his new son and grandson and everything that they were going through because of the callousness of two men that he had thought better of. In fact he had come to see Severus as a son as well and it hurt him to think that Severus would choose to stay with such a bigoted bastard instead of siding with Harry who's only wish in life was to have a big happy family.

The more Albus paced and thought, the more enraged he became. After half an hour he had had enough. The twinkle in his eye was gone when he stormed into the Great Hall.

"Has anyone seen Professor Snape!?"

It was easy to see that he was highly upset with his colleague. He may have been trying to put on a calm front but the gentile grandfather figure was gone, replaced by one very pissed off old man that could make the devil second guess his decisions. Professor Vector was the one that was brave enough to respond.

"He was here for dinner but left after receiving something from one of the elves. He seemed upset when he left."

"Thank you."

With that he spun on his heel and marched down to the dungeons with a speed that belied his age. If he had stopped he would have noticed the air crackling with irate magic and the portraits whispering to each other about the scene they were witnessing. It had been some time since they had witnessed the esteemed headmaster so incensed. He did not even appear this infuriated when the Dark Lord attempted to take Hogwarts. Whatever the potion master had done, they knew was bad. Very very bad. They would have felt sorry for him if it wasn't for the fact that he seemed to have brought this ire down on himself.

As Albus approached his potion masters quarters he noticed the wards were down but brushed it off as he was to angry to put much thought in it. The portrait guarding the doorway sprung open without the password as if it was desperate to do anything it could to get out of the headmaster's way for fear it would be destroyed if it didn't.

Albus stomped into the living room fully prepared to rip Severus up one side and down the other for what he had done to his son. What he saw made him stop in mid-stride. Severus Snape. Potion Master extraordinary. Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Former Death Eater and long time spy for the Order of the Phoenix was a complete mess. He appeared more like a tiny child that had lost his best friend than the cold hearted vampire many students had accused him of being.

Albus took in the half empty bottle in Severus' hand and the tears streaming down from his face and suddenly started to wonder about what had happened this morning. Surely Severus would not be this upset if he had willingly chose Lucius over Harry. Albus knew that Severus had received Harry's letter at dinner but if things had played out like Harry believed, why would Severus be reduced to such a state? Perhaps Lucius had tossed him aside before things were all said and done. It did not matter. What mattered was that this man hurt his son.

"Come now Severus, you should be in bed perfectly content while getting screwed into the mattress by Lucius instead of wallowing in tears and liquor. What's the matter? Did he find some whore to replace Harry already and decide to replace you while he was at it?"

Albus had practically growled at him.

Severus looked up at his mentor and colleague a little bewildered. His alcohol riddled brain not entirely functioning well enough to decode what Albus had just said.

"Merlin's balls Albus! What the hell are you on about? You know what I don't care. Just get out. I've had a crap day. I've thrown out one lover and had the other walk away on his own taking my only chance at fatherhood with him so if you don't mind I'd like to continue drowning myself and hopefully I'll pass out to wake in the morning to find this whole disaster has been nothing but a nightmare."

"Ok something is not adding up Severus. Give me the bottle and we'll sober you up and instead of screaming at you as I'd planned, we'll have a nice little chat."

"I don't want to chat you deranged hippy! I want to drink myself into oblivion, pass out, and wake up tomorrow wrapped in the arms of both the men I love knowing that nothing that happened today really happened because if it did then it only cements the knowledge that Fate has condemned me to be miserable and alone my entire life."

Having enough of this and realizing that Severus was not going to willingly sober up Albus stealthily drew his wand and wordlessly cast an Incarcerous charm followed quickly by Mobilicorpus to quickly move Severus to the couch. Snatching the bottle of fire-whiskey, Albus banished it before turning once again to Severus and casting a sobering charm on the young man. Seeing him start to become agitated further now that he was sober, he walked to Severus' personal potion stores and retrieved a calming drought and none to gently forced the man's mouth open. He poured the potion down Severus' throat and quickly covered his mouth and nose when he realized his intention to spit it back out. Finally Severus gave a disgruntled glare and swallowed the vial concoction.

After a minute Albus decided it was time to clear a few things up.

"Now, if I release you, are you going to behave or do I need to cast a sticking charm to keep you in your seat. And trust me I have no issue with dousing you with Veritaserum if I must to get the entire truth of the situation."

"I shall do my best to behave. Merlin knows I have no wish to be around you while under the influence of Veritaserum."

Giving a slight chuckle Albus replied, "I have no doubt you would do anything to avoid that situation. Now, perhaps we should start at the beginning. I know that Harry left. And I know his reason for doing it; however, after the scene I walked in on, I fear that there is more to this story that even Harry does not know."

With that, Severus proceeded to give a complete accounting of his day. By the time he was finished, the normally stoic man had silent tears streaming down his face. Albus sat there stroking his beard and contemplating all that he had heard. His poor boys. Fate definitely was not being kind to them at the moment. If only Harry had listened to the entire conversation they would not be in this situation.

"Albus."

Severus calling his name pulled him from his thoughts.

"Hmm, yes my boy."

Severus hesitated for a moment.

"You said that you knew Harry's reasoning for leaving. Can you please tell me? He really did not explain it in his letter and I can not understand why he could possibly think I do not love him."

With that Albus began to tell his tale. Everything that had happened from the time Harry pounded on his door, all the way up until he left the airport. He told him of the portion of the conversation Harry had heard. He told him of the planning to get them out of the country. Of the trip to Gringotts, the adoption of Harry, the informal reading of the Lupin's will, the finalization of Teddy's adoption and the establishment of Harry and Teddy's new identities.

"Oh sweet Merlin, no wonder he left."

"Yes I understood fully why he felt the need to leave. While it saddened me to see my son and grandson leave, at the time I felt it was for the best."

"If you helped him plan to leave then you must know where he has gone? Get him back here! Please Albus, I have not begged for anything since I came to you seeking help to keep Lilly alive but I am begging you now. I will get down on my knees if I must but please bring him home so I can explain. I can't just lose him over some stupid misunderstanding."

"I am sorry my boy. I would bring them back in a heartbeat if I could; however, all I have is a general location. He was headed to California but I do not know if that is where he will ultimately end up. I know he wished to stay near a wizarding community while living in the muggle world which limits his options but still leaves a large number of places where he could be. There is no telling if he will stay in California and there are 10 other states with magical communities and at least two in each of those states and even if we managed to stumble upon the correct community that only limits us to a general area. We'd have no choice but to stalk through the community and hope that he would come in at just the right time for us to find him. Before he left Gringotts he had the goblins cast a spell that would ward off any mail coming from outside of the United States so we can not even send him a letter until he has the spell removed. I am truly sorry but there is just now way for us to contact him."

"Alright. I suppose you have a point; however, I do not like it and I want to be informed as soon as you hear from him."

"I will let you know. I promise. Now I think it would be a wise idea for you to take a dreamless sleep potion and go to bed. I am sure a good night's rest is just what you need."

"Albus I do not require a potion to hel…"

Albus wordless cast a Silencio on him followed quickly by another Incarcerous. He accioed a dreamless sleep potion, poured it into Severus mouth receiving a glare in the process and levitated him into his bed. By the time he had released the binding spell and covered Severus, he was already sound asleep.

With that Albus quietly slipped out of the rooms, casting locking and warding spells in order to allow Severus an uninterrupted peaceful night sleep and proceeded to his own chambers. After dressing for bed, Albus walked to the window and looked over the grounds. As he stood there thinking of the unfairness of Fate, Fawkes landed on his shoulder and gave a mournful trill.

"I know my old friend, I know. Oh my boys. Life has not been fair or easy for either of them. I am not sure how long it will take; however I know that they are meant for each other. I know he will come back to us. I only hope that when he hears the truth, he can forgive himself as well as Severus."


	5. Chapter 5

**Family is Everything**

**Alternative Version**

**Disclaimer: While I love the books, if I owned the rights to them, the story would have been different.**

**Summary: The war is over and Harry is starting his life with Severus and Lucius. The arrival of his godson changes his perspective on the men in his life causing him to flee the country. This is an alternative to my original story line. BRIEF HP/SS/LM, HP/SS. Ignores HBP and DH. AU/OOC MPREG**

**AN:**

Wow, tons of alerts filled my inbox yesterday so I'm hoping everyone approved of the last chapter. I'm going to put a poll up that I hope everyone will take a minute to vote for. This one is about the baby Harry is going to be having. Oh in case anyone is still worried, Harry and Severus will be back together in less than a year and despite the hell I've put Severus and Harry through, I promise they'll be happy.

* * *

It had been two weeks since Harry left Hogwarts. Albus had returned to his cheerful grandfatherly self after his confrontation with Severus; however as the days dragged by, people could tell he was starting to get concerned. He knew that his son thought he needed this time for himself yet he wanted him home with his family where he belonged. He worried that Harry would not be home for a long time. Despite his outward optimism, he was also worried that by the time Harry came home, it would be too late and Severus would be broken beyond repair.

For the potion master the past two weeks had been pure torture. He desperately wanted Harry back. He wanted to tell him exactly what had happened during the fight with Lucius. He wanted to hold him in his arms and whisper words of love and devotion. He wanted to help him care for Teddy and after rocking the infant to sleep, he wanted to pick Harry up and carry him to their bed where he would slowly and thoroughly make love to him with every ounce of passion he had with in him.

After the third day, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Any word from Harry yet?"

"I am sorry my boy. No word from him yet. I'm sure we shall hear from him soon."

"Of course Albus."

Albus could tell how taxing it was for his youngest colleague but there was nothing he could really do. There was nothing anyone could do except wait for Harry to contact them.

Every day for two weeks the scene would play out again.

"Any word from Harry yet?"

"I am sorry my boy. No word from him yet. I'm sure we shall hear from him soon."

"Of course Albus."

At the end of the second week of this, both parties were shocked out of their usual pattern when they opened the Daily Profit.

_**The Man Who Defeated You Know Who Missing?**_

_**By Rita Skeeter**_

_**It has come to the attention of this highly revered reporter that our very own Harry Potter; Boy Who Lived, Chosen One, Savior of the Wizarding World, Man Who Defeated You Know Who has gone missing. **_

_**Where has he gone? Did he leave on his own or was he taken by some renegade Death Eaters?**_

_**Sources tell us that at the time of his disappearance our Savior was in a relationship with known Death Eaters Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape. While it is believed that these two were spies for the light, one has to question the legitimacy of such a claim. It seems that Mr. Potter disappeared the very same day that Lucius Malfoy was seen running from the castle shouting **_

"_**THIS IS NOT OVER! NO ONE ELSE WILL EVER WANT YOU! YOU WILL BE BEGGING AT MY FEET FOR FORGIVNESS!" **_

_**Later that evening, it is reported that Albus Dumbledore stormed through the castle yelling for Mr. Snape.**_

_**Do these highly undignified scenes have anything to do with Mr. Potter's disappearance? Has Mr. Malfoy kidnapped our Savior as some form of retribution for a lover's spat? Or could their relationship be just a rouse to gain his trust and attack our precious Chosen One when he would least expect it?**_

_**I'm afraid that we can only wait and hope that wherever Mr. Potter is, that he is safe and will return to us soon.**_

Severus looked at Albus and said,

"So much for keeping this to ourselves. We should have known it would not last long."

"I am saddened to admit that you are right my friend. I fear I will have to write a letter to the Prophet to clear up a few misunderstandings."

* * *

The next day at breakfast the typical scene played out before the entire hall.

"Any word from Harry yet?"

"I am sorry my boy. No word from him yet. I'm sure we shall hear from him soon."

"Of course Albus."

Shortly after this, they both opened their copies of the Daily Prophet that had arrived with the mail.

_**Has Our Savior Abandoned The United Kingdom?**_

_**By Rita Skeeter**_

_**Yesterday afternoon, this reporter had the honor of receiving a letter from none other than Albus Dumbledore Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy and Supreme Mugwump of the Wizengamot regarding yesterday's article of our missing Mr. Potter.**_

_**This is what he had to say:**_

"_**I wish to assure the public that there has been no nefarious scheme to cause the untimely death of Mr. Potter. Mr. Potter felt that he simply needed a break from the attention and fame that he receives simply by walking outside of his quarters each day. He recently gained custody of his godson and felt that he would not be able to properly bond with his new son if he was constantly dodging reporters and admirers. It is his wish to raise his son in an environment where he is not worshipped because he was blessed by the hand of fate.**_

_**I personally counseled Mr. Potter on his decision and helped him make the necessary plans. I was also with him when he left on his journey so I can certainly attest to the fact that yes he has left of his own free will.**_

_**As for the outlandish claims made in your article; I have already testified before the Wizengamot under the influence of Veritaserum regarding the status of both Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Snape. I will once again try to assure the public that both men were working for me as spies to bring down Tom Riddle aka Voldemort. Neither of these men deserve the scorn and accusations that have been repeatedly thrown at them. Both went to great lengths and put themselves as well as family and friends into danger in order to help us all.**_

_**Regarding the alleged incident of Mr. Malfoy leaving the castle, my understanding is that it was a personal matter and should have been kept that way. Whoever reported such an incident to the Daily Prophet should be ashamed of themselves as I imagine they would not appreciate their personal lives being shared with the entire wizarding world."**_

_**We at the Daily Prophet have also received a correspondence from Mr. Malfoy's attorney informing us that no such incident took place and threatening a lawsuit for our apparent slander. As such, we at the Daily Prophet wish to extend to Mr. Malfoy our apologies for any distress that yesterdays article may have caused him.**_

_**So it appears that Mr. Potter has left the United Kingdom. One has to wonder if he has left us for good. Has he abandoned us when every able bodied person is desperately needed to help with the reconstruction of our community? Has he run away due to some shame he is seeking to hide? Has he left for good or will he be returning to us?**_

_**The sudden disappearance of Mr. Potter has caused many questions to surface and we at the Daily Prophet will endeavor to answer them.**_

Albus and Severus shared a look before turning back to their meals.

* * *

Another week had gone by before the routine was broken again. Severus was running slightly late arriving for breakfast so Albus had already started reading his mail when Severus arrived. Looking up at the head table, he could see the bright smile on Albus' face. As he got closer to the table Severus' heart sped up. He couldn't help the hope that blossomed in his chest at that moment.

"Albus?"

"Yes Severus, he has finally written."

Severus relief was so great that everyone in the hall could see it.

"Well out with it already! Where is he? What does he say? Is he coming home?"

"Why don't I let you read it for yourself?"

A slight tremor was visible in his hand as he reached over to take the letter.

_**Dear Father,**_

_**You know that is a little strange after all this time. I am so used to addressing you as Professor, Headmaster and Albus that it seems odd to call you Father now. Don't get me wrong, it's nice. I love it in fact. It's still a little weird though.**_

_**Anyways, on to my news. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to write to you. We arrived safely in San Francisco and stayed at a hotel in Unicorn Alley for a few days. We would have stayed there longer but I feared we would be discovered so as soon as I was able, we found a flat on the muggle side of the alley, allowing us to stay close the magical community without sticking out like a sore thumb. Speaking of which, I must thank the goblins for the recommendation for Truly Charmed. I had a very difficult time keeping Teddy's hat on during the plane ride and his hair kept changing colors. I was sure the elderly woman next to us was going to have a heart attack when his hair turned green. I'm ashamed to admit I had to use an oblivate on her by the end of the trip. **_

_**Anyways, at Truly Charmed we were able to pick up a charm that looks similar to an identity anklet that hides his Metamorphmagus abilities from muggles. To any muggle that looks at him, he appears as a copy of me. He's so adorable with his slightly curly black hair and green eyes.**_

_**He's getting so big, I can't believe how fast he has grown. The first few days were difficult but we are starting to fall into a routine and be comfortable with each other. I took him to the park the other day and had some guy take pictures of us while we went down the slide. Teddy was all smiles and giggles the entire time we were there. I wish you could have been with us but since you couldn't, I've sent a few pictures along with this letter.**_

_**I never realized how difficult being a father would be. I also never realized how amazing it is. Is this how my father felt when he watched me smile for the first time? Did he ever get the opportunity to take me down the slide or push me on the baby swings at the park? I know I'll never know but I can't help but wonder.**_

_**After our first difficult day, I picked up a book on magical baby care and Merlin is it the best baby item I have found yet. There are all kinds of charms and spells that make baby care a lot easier and also less stress inducing. I think my favorite is the one that acts like an invisible baby carrier so that I don't have to worry about dropping him in the shower. His, I think is the one that creates floating magical animals that circle just out of his reach, kind of like a muggle mobile.**_

_**Anyways, I know that you are not going to be happy about this but I would like to keep my exact location secret for now. I've seen the articles in the newspaper about me and the last thing I need is for my location to get out, even though I know you would not do that intentionally, so for now I'm keeping the anti-mail charm on us. I promise to write to you often and keep you up to date and when I feel more secure I will let you know where to find us. Please understand that this has nothing to do with you, I am just trying to protect my son.**_

_**I've got to go now. Teddy will be up from his nap soon and then we need to head into the alley to pick up a few things.**_

_**I'll write soon. Take care of yourself.**_

_**Your son,**_

_**Harry**_

Severus read the letter for a second time cherishing every word before picking up the pictures. Harry, his Harry was on a muggle contraption he recognized as a slide holding a black haired child that had the most adorable smile on his face. As he watched them coming down the slide you could see Harry look down at the baby and smile while the little one let out a giggle. At the bottom of the slide, Harry looked up at the camera and showed his beautiful smile. Yet if you looked closely you could see the sadness in his eyes. Severus heart clenched looking into those heartbroken eyes.

There were more pictures of Harry and Teddy on the swings and feeding the ducks. Then there were pictures of just Teddy by himself sitting in his bouncy seat swatting at the mobile Harry mentioned. Severus studied each photo gently caressing them as he memorized every bit of each of the pictures.

Albus looked on with a sad smile.

"At least we know roughly where he is and that they are alright. I know it is not much; however, it is better than what we had yesterday."

"I have to find him Albus. I can not stand to know that the devastation in his eyes is because of me. I have to find him and tell him the truth. I have to bring him home."

"Give it some time Severus. He has not even been gone a month. Give it some time for him to work this out of his system and calm down and if he does not let us know soon, then we will go looking for him."

"I do not like it Albus. He should be here with us. Not out there alone in the world. What if someone discovers him? He could be hurt or even killed and we wouldn't know! What if by the time we find him, he's already moved on."

The last part was a mere whisper but Albus heard it all the same. He truly felt for his friend and the pain he was going through yet he had to have faith that fate would not continue to be that cruel to him.

"He won't Severus. He'll be home with us soon. You must be strong and trust in the man you love."

With that, both men left the hall to return to their individual quarters. One praying to ever deity he could think of that his love would be found safe and before he found someone else to love. The other similarly praying that the misery plaguing his two boys would come to an end soon.


	6. Chapter 6

**Family is Everything**

**Alternative Version**

**Disclaimer: While I love the books, if I owned the rights to them, the story would have been different.**

**Summary: The war is over and Harry is starting his life with Severus and Lucius. The arrival of his godson changes his perspective on the men in his life causing him to flee the country. This is an alternative to my original story line. BRIEF HP/SS/LM, HP/SS. Ignores HBP and DH. AU/OOC MPREG**

**AN: I wanted to get this out last night but I decided to spend the day playing with my youngest instead. It's a good thing I did because the delay allowed me to discover a plot hole I had made that I had to figure out how to fix. I wonder if anyone else caught it? I also wonder what the librarian would think if she knew I had been plotting out this particular story while she was reading a story to the kids about sun flowers?**

**Well, on with the story.**

* * *

After eleven hours in the air, they had finally arrived at their destination, San Francisco International Airport. Luckily they were able to procure a ticket on a non-stop flight from London to San Francisco which alleviated the stress of trying to change planes with an infant in his arms. Teddy had behaved as well as could be expected for an infant of only two months of age. The only real problem they had was his hair constantly changing colors. Harry had ended up obliviating the people around him.

Harry was surprised when he walked off the plane and spotted a gentleman holding a sign saying H. Dumbledore. Cautiously Harry approached the older man.

"Mr. Dumbledore I presume?"

"Yes."

It was a little awkward acknowledging that as his name yet he was glad as not only did he now have a living father but it also made it easier to disappear as no one would think to look for him under the name Dumbledore except his father.

Harry was a little concerned as he was not expecting anyone to meet him.

"Your father arranged for me to greet you here and take you and your son to your hotel. He also asked me to obtain a car seat for the little one and it is already installed in the limo. It is yours to keep when I drop you at your destination"

"You'll have to forgive me for being cautious but how do I know that you are here for the reason that you say you are?"

The gentleman laughed.

"He was right. He said you were a suspicious one. I'm to tell you that his current favorite candy is blood pops."

"Yes that sounds like my father and his insane candy fixation."

"Well, come along and we'll collect your baggage before heading to the car."

"There's no need. The only bag we brought is my backpack."

"Oh, well…I figured you would have more… Ah, a bottomless bag?"

This caused Harry to start a little.

"So your not…"

"No Mr. Dumbledore, I am not a muggle. However, I assure you that you and your son are safe with me. I've taken an unbreakable vow to not tell anyone who you are or where I took you. The vow also insures that you both arrive safely at your destination."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. It's just that war taught me to be overly cautious and my main concern is my son's health and wellbeing."

"No offense taken, I promise."

With that the two men walked out of the airport and Harry and Teddy slid into the back of the limo. Harry ended up being forced to concede that he had no clue how to operate the car seat so the driver came back to help him. Once Teddy was secure they began the drive to the hotel.

"Where exactly are you taking us?"

"Oh I'm sorry, I assume that you would like to stay in Unicorn Alley, the magical community here. Unless you would prefer to stay in the muggle world? In which case there are hundreds of motels to choose from."

"No I am sure that Unicorn Alley will be just fine for a few days. Besides I would like to look around and pick up a few things that we didn't bring with us and possible put some feelers out for a place to live."

"Well alright then. Now there are three hotels in the main part of Unicorn Alley. I won't recommend the ones off the main strip as they tend to house the seedier customers. Let's see, as far as your options go, there's The Black Cauldron which I believe is owned by the same family that owns The Leaky Cauldron in London. So it's basically just a few rooms for rent above the tavern. Then there's The Purple Dragon, don't ask why it's named that I haven't the foggiest idea. It's a pretty decent place without screaming high paying customers only. The room service is good and you'll have plenty of room for you and the little tyke. The last option is The Unicorn. It was built by the same people that founded the Alley itself and is geared more towards the rich clientele. The staff is a little snobby but the rooms are huge and they cater well to their customers needs."

"Uhmm, in all honesty, I think I'd prefer to go with The Purple Dragon. A little better than The Black Cauldron and keeping the anonymity I'd lose if I went with the high scale place."

"No problem. We should be there in about an hour. Have you ever been to the states before?"

"No I've never left the UK."

"Well I think you're in for quite a shock. I've been to Diagon Alley before and I have to say it's hugely different from Unicorn Alley. The Alley here is much much larger. Most witches and wizards here live in the muggle world so the Alley here is very modern. You'll find that there is little difference between the muggle and magical world here. Television, computers, phones, internet, we have it all here. Although we do have the floo system and owl post as well since some people have family and friends in areas that are not as advanced.

As far as clothing, most choose to wear muggle style clothing to make it less of a hassle to travel back and forth between the two communities. About the only ones wearing robes are those that work for the ministry and visitors to the area. Although those aren't the only ones. It's a personal choice and no one looks down on you for your choice of clothing."

"Well that's good. I was raised muggle so I'm all for a modernized wizarding world."

They spent the rest of the trip talking about other differences that Harry would discover here. He was surprised, yet relieved, that in the states blood status meant little. It was more about magical power as well as education and how much of a name each person made for themselves. Evidently, here, the two worlds were much more open with each other. While muggles still could not enter the magical community without a witch or wizard, that did not mean they were ignorant of the wizarding world. The driver, whose name was Dante, informed him that around the time that Voldemort returned, the magical community in the states "came out of the broom closet." Dante had a good laugh when Harry asked what that meant.

"It's what they call the event where we made ourselves known to the muggles. It took a lot of negotiations with the muggle president and other government officials but one day the wizarding president went on television along with the muggle president and addressed the nation. After a brief display of magic he talked about who we are and how we came to be. He discussed that we aren't evil, we don't make deals with the devil, and most of us are just normal ordinary folks that practice magic. The two presidents then told of the laws that had been created to protect both societies. We have strict laws that forbid the use of magic on a muggle unless it's in self defense. And they have laws classifying any muggle attack on a magical person as a hate crime which carries a heavier sentence than if they committed the same crime on a non-magical person."

About that time, they pulled up in front of the hotel. Again, Harry was amazed that they drove right up to the front of the hotel instead of being forced to leave the car in the muggle world and walk the rest of the way.

"Like I said, we're a lot more modern here than in Great Britain. In fact the U.S. is a lot more modern than a lot of countries."

Dante helped Harry get the car seat out of the car. Harry was afraid that he wouldn't be able to undo the straps and buckles so Dante showed him how to do it and then shrunk the car seat which Harry put in his bag.

After saying goodbye to each other. Harry went in and registered. He was glad that he withdrew enough money from his Gringotts account before the trip because he did not want to pay by magical means which would have registered his magical signature.

Once he received his room key he allowed the bell boy to show him to his room where the first thing he did was remove Teddy's crib from his bag and enlarge it. After changing and feeding his son he put him down for a nap and crawled into bed himself.

He was tired and knew he should sleep since he'd been up all night and as it was only 7:30 A.M. he knew that Teddy wouldn't sleep long. Unfortunately sleep would not claim him.

He lay on the bed just thinking about the past twenty-four hours and how much his life had changed. Tears once again spilled from his eyes as he thought about the men he left behind. He was so in love with them that it hurt to think about them. He couldn't believe how stupid he had been. Why would they love him? They had already been together for years before he got involved. He should have known that he was nothing but a fling for them. A quick little fuck to enhance their relationship.

And what Lucius had said about Teddy. Sweet Merlin, how could anyone think that way when talking about a child? A mere infant that has done nothing wrong in this life, who couldn't even stand up and defend himself. Gods he thought that Lucius had changed.

And Severus. He was just as bad as Lucius if he agreed with the man and by siding with Lucius he was agreeing with him. Harry thought Severus had changed after the mud-blood incident with his mother but evidently he was wrong. Why else would he side with Lucius? Unless he loved Lucius so much that he didn't care how horrible a person he was. Harry wanted to believe better of his love but the past twenty-four hours had changed his mind about a lot of things.

It didn't matter. He had left. He was half a world away now and he had a son that needed his entire focus. He couldn't worry about any other person right now. What he needed to do was lock away his heart and focus on the only two people alive that deserved a portion of it and that was his father and his son. With this thought in mind, Harry finally drifted into a troubled sleep filled with dreams of the argument between Severus and Lucius.

Harry didn't get to sleep long before Teddy awoke ready to start his day.

* * *

Over the next month Harry and Teddy settled into life in the U.S. He'd found them a flat on the muggle side on The Alley. If he looked out his bedroom window he could look out over The Alley and looking out his living room windows he would look out onto the streets of San Francisco. He would have preferred to be more hidden but he figured that he most likely wouldn't be found unless he spent a lot of time in The Alley or if someone saw his scar which he tended to keep hidden anyways. He'd visited the local branch of Gringotts and had the rest of his funds transferred to an account here. He'd also obtained a credit card that would allow him to pay for things without showing his magical signature or carrying a ton of money with him. Since his name was now Dumbledore, there was little chance any transactions would be traced to Harry Potter.

He'd found a lot of great stores. Witchlings and Little Wizards was wonderful in filling out the rest of Teddy's wardrobe. The clerk was very helpful and showed him a book on magical baby care. She'd suggest he buy a Mei Tai and after trying one on he just had to have one. Now he could carry Teddy and not worry about dropping him or his arms getting tired while they were out and about.

Truly Charmed was truly sent to him from the Gods. They sold charms for almost everything. Even though wizards were "out" in the states, he worried how people would react to Teddy's metamorph abilities so he was glad to find a charm that would make him appear to a muggle to have black hair and green eyes regardless of what color his hair really was at the time. Unfortunately they didn't have a charm that could cloak a curse scar. He'd just have to continue hiding it with his hair like he'd done his entire life.

He was surprised and slightly disgusted when he realized that The Daily Prophet was available for sale here. And of course someone had leaked his disappearance. There had so far been three articles. Two speculating on his ex's participation in his disappearance and one "Oh Poor The Man Who Lived, Is He Safe On His Birthday?" He thought that one had been quite funny. He was glad to see that his father had written The Prophet in an attempt to correct the whole situation without revealing any more knowledge than Harry would have wanted him to. He did wonder a bit about the part of Lucius screaming and running from the castle. Surely that was just more of The Prophet attempting to slander a high profile figure's image. What else could explain it? He knew that Severus had sided with Lucius so really there was no other explanation for it than it didn't really happen and the rag was making things up to make the article more interesting.

He'd written to his father shortly before his birthday and included pictures of him and Teddy. He hated to keep the man in the dark about his exact location and he REALLY hated the anxiety he was sure to be causing him by refusing to allow incoming mail, but he just needed this time for him and his son. They were starting a new life together and in a new part of the world, they needed this alone time to get more settled into their new roles.

* * *

_Two Months Post Move Harry's POV_

I leaned my head against the toilet as I wiped my mouth with the sleeve of my pajama top. This was getting ridiculous. Surely two weeks was a little extreme for the flu? Maybe I should see the medi-witch? I can't risk Teddy catching this, in fact, I'm surprised he hasn't already with as much as I've been vomiting lately.

Yes I think I'll go today. Besides, Teddy has started to outgrow the diapers he's in, I really should buy the next size up. I know most people would be grossed out by it and think I'm crazy but I really do prefer him to wear cloth diapers. It doesn't hurt that they save me money in the long run.

Teddy was just waking up for the morning so I need to get him fed, bathed and dressed for our little excursion. By the time that I was done preparing Teddy and myself and had thrown up another two times, I was questioning my sanity when it came to my decision to make this trip into The Alley. I really feel like crap and this is a lot of work to go through when the medi-witch is probably just going to give me a potion to calm my stomach and another to boost my immune system. Looking down at Teddy snuggled against my chest in his carrier, I knew I needed to extend the effort just so that I knew he wouldn't get sick as well.

I really hadn't taken the time to find a medi-witch for myself, just one that specialized in pediatrics for Teddy's sake, so I went to the walk in clinic. I'll have to ask if they can recommend someone to me for a more permanent basis. But then again, I hate medical professionals so it's no wonder I've put it off as long as I have. They are constantly trying to make me do things I don't want to and complaining about how skinny I am. It's really more bother than it's generally worth.

After signing in, I took a seat and proceeded to read a book to Teddy while I waited to be called back. Finally after a good forty-five minutes my name was called. Merlin that voice sounded familiar. I stood up and turned around and promptly passed out.

* * *

I slowly came back to my senses and suddenly started to panic. Teddy wasn't in his carrier anymore! Oh Gods! Where was he? Then I noticed someone calling my name.

"Mr. Dumbledore! Mr. Dumbledore! Are you alright?"

"My son?" I barely chocked out in my frantic state.

"Excuse me?" The woman had clearly not understood me.

"Where's my son?" This time it came out much stronger.

"Oh yes, yes, he's right over there with Mr. Malfoy."

"WHAT!?"

I got to my feet as quickly as I was able to and pulled my wand on him. Now that I took a good look I could tell that it wasn't Lucius. But things couldn't be much worse. It was his son.

"Malfoy take your hands off my child THIS INSTANT!"

"Whoa Harry, no need for the dramatics. Seriously, what's your problem? I was merely calming the boy down after you passed out. And what do you mean your child? Last I checked you didn't have a child. Why did you sign in as Mr. Dumbledore? And better yet, what on earth are you doing here anyways?"

I moved as quickly as I could in my current state and took Teddy from Draco. I could barely stand to look at him. He looked so much like his father that it hurt. I really didn't want to talk to him but I knew I needed to talk fast if I was going to get out of this without word getting out that I was here.

"I'll answer what I can but only in private." I turned to the medi-witch,

"I'm sorry for the trouble and commotion madam but would it be possible for us to borrow a room for a few minutes to finish this chat? It's not information I generally want announced to the world."

"Yes that would be fine. Draco can show you to exam room 3 and when your done speaking I can come check you over."

"Thank you."

I followed Draco to the exam room in silence. Dread filling me at the discussion to come. I just had to find someway of convincing him not to contact anyone and let them know where I am. As soon as the door was shut I spun around to face him.

"You may want answers but I need assurances first. Before I say anything else, I want a wizards oath that you will not repeat anything I have said or even tell anyone either in written or spoken form that you have even seen me."

Draco looked at me oddly for a moment.

"I find this a bit over the top but I'll go along with it just to kill my curiosity.** I DRACONIOS LUCIUS ABRAXAS MALFOY SWEAR AN OATH ON MY MAGIC THAT I WILL NOT REVEAL ANYTHING SAID TO ME TODAY BY HARRY POTTER NOR WILL I TELL ANYONE OR WRITE DOWN OR IN ANY OTHER WAY COMMUNICATE THAT I HAVE EVEN SEEN HARRY POTTER UNTIL I HAVE HIS PERMISSION. SO MOTE IT BE.**

When the magic had finished settling I started my tale for yet another person. By the time I was finished, Draco was seething and I was trying desperately not to burst into tears. The magic swirling in the air was palpable. I would have been afraid of him in the moment but I had a feeling that the anger wasn't direct at me but at his father and godfather.

"I can't believe them. I know I've been out of touch for a long time but seriously, how screwed up are they? I have half a mind to floo there and give them a piece of my mind!"

"Draco, calm down. Your starting to upset Teddy."

Draco looked at my son who was starting to fuss in my arms and gave me a slightly sheepish grin.

"I'm sorry. I just got a little worked up."

"It's alright. What's important now is that no matter what, you can not let them know you've seen me. I'm sure you've read the papers, everyone things I've disappeared off the planet and I'd like to keep it that way."

"I understand Harry. And while I'd like to tear into both of them, I wont. Honestly I haven't spoken to either of them since I was sent here. I received a letter from father shortly after the final battle letting me know he and Uncle Sev were alright but that's the extent of the contact we've had. They don't even know that I'm apprenticing in medi-wizardry."

"Huh, I'd wondered what you were doing here but I hadn't gotten around to ask yet."

"Yes, I've gone into the medical field. When I started, I had no idea when the war would be ending so I thought we could always use more trained medical professionals. By the time the war ended, I had discovered that I really liked it and so I've stuck with it. By this time next year I'll be a fully trained medi-wizard."

"That's great Draco, I'm proud of you but we've been in here for a long time. Maybe we should let the matron know we're ready for her?"

"Yeah I'll just go get her. Just, Harry, I know we weren't friends in school until shortly before I left but please know that I'm here for you if you need anything. I may look like my father but we really are nothing alike. I may have put on airs during school but I truly do not buy into that blood purity nonsense. It doesn't matter to me if your son had a werewolf for a father and a muggle for a grandfather. As long as your both happy together, that's good enough for me."

I started to get a little tear eyed when he said that so I looked down to adjust Teddy in my arms. When I'd composed myself enough I looked back to him.

"Thank you Draco. That means a lot to me."

"Right, ok, enough of this sappy stuff. I'll just go get the medi-witch so that you guys can get out of here."

He turned and walked out the door, returning a few minutes later with the medi-witch I had met earlier.

"Alright Mr. Dumbledore, my name is Cynthia Sprig and I am the head medi-witch here. Now, are we ready?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"Now none of that Ma'am nonsense. Please call me Cynthia."

"Alright, as long as you call me Harry."

"Very well. What seems to be the problem Harry?"

"I seem to have come down with the flu or some other stomach bug. I've been sick for about two weeks now and I'm concerned that my son will come down with it."

"Well let me do a scan and see what we can find."

She waved her wand and muttered an incantation as her wand passed over me. When she was finished she took a look at my chart and a small smile grew on her face.

"Well Harry, I don't think you'll have to worry about your son getting this bug."

"Ok so what do I have? Is there any easy cure for it?"

"Perhaps Draco should hold your son while we discuss things."

"Now your making me nervous."

"There's no need to be nervous, I'm just worried that the news may come as a shock to you."

Grudgingly I handed Teddy to Draco and then turned back to the medi-witch.

"Well?"

"There's no easy cure for it, in fact you'll probably be more miserable before it ends. Harry, your about three months pregnant."

My eyes boggled before I heard a thud and a cry. I jumped from the table and retrieved my son. The medi-witch looked down and gave an incredulous look.

"Well I nearly expected you to pass out, not Draco."


	7. Chapter 7

**Family is Everything**

**Alternative Version**

**Disclaimer: While I love the books, if I owned the rights to them, the story would have been different.**

**Summary: The war is over and Harry is starting his life with Severus and Lucius. The arrival of his godson changes his perspective on the men in his life causing him to flee the country. This is an alternative to my original story line. BRIEF HP/SS/LM, HP/SS. Ignores HBP and DH. AU/OOC MPREG**

* * *

Pregnant. I'm pregnant. Oh Merlin! What am I going to do? A four month old infant and three months pregnant. Oh Gods! I'd nearly forgotten that men could get pregnant and now here I am pregnant. The word just kept reverberating through my mind. Pregnant. Pregnant. Pregnant. I was absentmindedly trying to calm down Teddy while the thought kept bouncing back to the front of my mind. Pregnant. And by one or both of two men that wanted nothing to do with children. And with me. Merlin and Morgana help me. What am I going to do? Cynthia startled me out of my thoughts when she spoke.

"Well then, I suppose we should wake him up. Ennervate."

The effect was immediate as Draco's eyes flew open. We stayed like that, me bouncing Teddy staring down at him and him lying on the floor staring up at me. Suddenly he jumped to his feet.

"I'm gonna be a big brother!"

It was comical watching his very un-Malfoy like behavior when he let out a loud whoop of joy. The medi-witch seemed a little surprised by this announcement and his behavior.

"Uhmm…Draco."

"This is just awesome! I've always wanted a baby brother."

"Draco, it might not…"

"Oh of course, your right. A baby sister would be wonderful as well."

"Draco, your not listening to me. It might not be…"

"Oh wait till I contact father. He'll be thrilled to find out…"

"DRACO SHUT UP FOR TWO SECONDS!"

This seemed to finally break through his thick blond head. He shut his mouth with a very audible click.

"Thank you, now as I was saying. You know as well as I do that it might not be his."

He opened his mouth to say something but I held up my hand and he continued to let me speak.

"It very well could be Severus' child. But that doesn't matter. They can't find out."

"Harry first off if it is Severus' child then I'll be a god-brother so that part doesn't matter. Secondly, you can't be serious. Of course they have to be told!"

"Really and just what do you expect them to do?"

"Well they'd want to help you raise the baby of course."

"Really? Like you were raised? Besides that's highly unlikely. I just told you what your father said about raising another child."

"But…but, that's not his child. I know he'll feel differently about his own child."

"Your being naive Draco. He flat out said he wouldn't raise another child. Period. And besides, if for some reason he did decide he wanted to raise the child, what do you think he'd do? Welcome us back into his home with open arms? No, if he got it in his head to raise this child, he'd try and take it away from me."

"Your wrong Harry. Father wouldn't do that to you."

"So your saying your father would be perfectly ok with raising his youngest child alongside of a child like Teddy? If you believe that you're a lot stupider than I gave you credit for."

"Hey! I'm not stupid! But I suppose you have a point about Teddy."

"Exactly. And they are not going to tear my family apart so you can not say anything to them. Not one word. If they find out they'll destroy my family and I wont stand for it. Voldemort did enough of that."

"Ok ok. Not a word. But you have to let me help you and be a part of the child's life. Regardless of what they did, that baby is still part of my family. Besides, your all alone here, your going to need help with two children so young."

"Three."

We both turned to Cynthia, having seemingly forgotten she was even in the room. I gave her an odd look. Three, three what?

"Excuse me. Three what?"

"Three children Harry. Your having twins."

Oh crap. Twins. I haven't even started to process being pregnant and she drops this bomb on me. I need to sit down. Not even bothering to move to a chair or the exam table, I just sat down on the floor right there. Three children all under the age of one. I've only been a father for two months. I'm just started to get used to being a single parent and now I'm going to be a single parent to three children. Morgana's tits! I wonder if Voldemort managed to make a deal with the devil just to find a way to further torment me. That thought sent me into hysterical laughter. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Harry?"

I heard the medi-witch's words but couldn't process them through my suddenly foggy brain. I felt her pry Teddy from my arms but even that didn't truly register.

"I think he's finally gone over the bend. I always knew he'd lose it eventually."

"Draco stop it and grab a calming drought for him."

A few seconds later I felt something pressed to my lips and swallowed the nasty mixture on reflex. The fog started to lift and my laughter turned into giggles and finally died all together.

" Better now?"

"Yes ma'am. Thank you."

"Stop that ma'am stuff already. Your reaction is understandable. That was a lot of life changing information that you just learned. I'm sure most young people in your place would react in a similar manner. Now, why don't we climb up on the table and I can do a more through exam now that I know what's going on."

I laid back on the table as she handed Teddy to Draco and lifted my shirt a bit. My pants were low hung so they wouldn't get in her way anyways. She pointed her wand at my stomach and muttered another spell that I didn't here and a little hologram appeared in the air above my stomach. And then I could hear a strange noise that sounded like two heartbeats. The question must have shown on my face because she said,

"That's your little ones heartbeats. Nice and strong. They both appear to be perfectly healthy and growing at a good rate. Your at 2 months and 3 weeks pregnant. I'd put your due date sometime around the first week of February. Although twins often come early. I'll have to give you a recommendation for a healer I know that specializes in male pregnancies since I'm just not qualified enough to handle it. Now, do you want to know what your having?"

I really didn't give the idea much thought since I was still a little stunned by the entire situation but I answered in the affirmative. She pointed at the image and said,

"This one here is your son. And this little one over here appears to be a daughter. Congratulations. You can sit up and straighten your clothes while I write up your orders."

A minute later she returned and handed me some papers.

"This here is your referral to the healer I told you about. Twins pregnancies are very rare in men so I highly suggest you use him. He's the only one in the area that is really up to the task of handling your case properly. These are your prescriptions, if you take it to the apothecary they will fill it for you. The first is for a prenatal vitamin to be taken every morning when you get up. The second is for a nausea potion to be taken once a week. Now is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No thank you Cynthia."

"Ok well, when your ready, Draco can show you out."

I sat there for a few moments trying to process everything when a whimper from Teddy brought me out of my thoughts. I stood up and walked to Draco and cradled the little boy in my arms.

"Hey little man. I bet your starting to get hungry. And I'm sure you could use a diaper change after all this excitement."

I laid him on the exam table and unsnapped his outfit and proceeded to change his diaper. A flick of my wrist banished it to the diaper pail at home. Man I love magic!

"Harry?"

"Not now Draco. I know we need to talk and we will but right now I just want to fill my prescriptions and take my son home."

"Why don't you let me run to the apothecary for you and I can meet you at your home. I'm sure Cynthia wouldn't mind letting me go early today."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want you to get into trouble."

"I'm sure it wont be a problem."

I nodded my consent and handed the papers over to Draco along with a scrap that I had scribbled my address on.

"Thank you. Please do not share that with anyone. I've stayed hidden so far and I'd like to stay that way."

"No problem. I'll take care of a few things and meet you back and your place. Do you need anything else?"

"Just diapers but I'll make a quick stop into Witchlings and Little Wizards since it's on my way home."

* * *

We'd been home for about an hour when a knock came at the door. I answered it and made a shushing signal so that Draco would know to be quiet. I escorted him into the living room and then went to put Teddy to bed for his nap. When I came back out, Draco was wondering the room looking at the pictures on the walls. There were pictures from "The Golden Trio's" years at school, pictures of my only Yule with Sirius, a birthday party my father had thrown me last year and pictures of Teddy from his birth announcement up to the ones I took of him kicking in the bath a few days ago. Noticing my return, he turned around.

"Your potions are on the table. I even managed to convince the clerk to sell me the flavored versions so they wont taste as bad."

"Thanks, how much do I owe you?"

"Don't worry about it. Like I said, that's my baby brother and sister in there and I intend to help in any way I can."

"Draco, that's not necessary. I don't need your charity."

"It's not charity. If my father and uncle aren't going to be here to take care of you guys then I damn well plan to. You guys are family now and family takes care of each other. So you can take your charity crap and shove it. I'm here to stay so deal with it."

I was a little taken aback by his statement but I was also a little glad. I'm certainly not hurting for money but I'm glad to have someone to share this with.

"Ok then prat, you can help."

"Good. And I meant what I said about being here to help. I want to move in with you."

This caused me to sputter and spit out the juice I'd just sipped.

"What!? Draco, that's too much. I can't ask you to do that."

"Harry listen to me. Please. Your not asking me, I'm offering. And it's not that big of a deal for me. When I arrived here I took a room at a boarding house near The Alley and never bothered to find something more permanent so you'd almost be helping me out here. Besides your going to need a lot of help the further your pregnancy progresses. Think about it. How easy do you think it'll be when your eight months pregnant, with twins, and a nine month old Teddy is crawling around pulling things down on himself. Also, like I said, those babies are family. I don't have much family left and I want to be there to help ever single minute that I can. Please Harry."

I think it was the "please" coming from my old school rival that finally broke the walls.

"Ok, ok just shut up already before you start sounding like Moaning Myrtle."

* * *

_3 months post move, 4 months pregnant_

It's amazing how much a life can change in just a few months. I've gone from being perfectly happy and being in love with two men to being a single father of an infant alone in a strange country to being pregnant with twins while raising my adopted son and living with someone that at one time I wouldn't even shake his hand.

A few weeks ago I made an appointment with the healer that Cynthia recommended to me. He was a nice older gentleman. It turns out that the reason he decided to specialize in male pregnancies was because he nearly lost his pregnant husband due to an incompetent healer when he was still in school.

He confirmed that everything was just perfect with the pregnancy as well as confirming my due date. He also agreed that most likely the twins would come early. He explained that the pregnancy would be exactly like a female pregnancy down to when I go into labor. Evidently I'd have to go into labor naturally so that we knew the twins were ready to be born but since unlike a woman I didn't have a birth canal, they'd have to do a cesarean. I asked him why we didn't just schedule it and he said that babies are born when they want to be born, and it would be best to just wait until they decided the time was right.

A week ago we'd finally located a house to buy on a nice street not far from The Alley yet still in the magical community. Despite the openness of the magical world, I felt uncomfortable venturing into the muggle world knowing that I'm pregnant. Seriously, how likely is it that muggles had ever seen a pregnant man? I know I'm barely showing, but I'd still feel awkward and besides, some day very soon I'm going to be as big as a house. So nope, despite not wanting to be found by wizards, I really don't need to be stared at by a bunch of muggles.

Yesterday I noticed a small fluttering in my stomach. I was majorly freaked out until Draco assured me that it was normal it was just the babies making themselves known to the world. I let him touch my stomach and his face fell a little when he didn't feel it. He tried to brush it off but I know he was still disappointed.

"Oh well, the first movements are often difficult for others to feel. I'm sure soon I'll get to feel them."

* * *

_4 months post move, 5 months pregnant_

I feel like crap. The morning sickness may have quit but my darling children have taken to playing football with my bladder. I swear, I should just move into the bathroom!

Teddy's getting so big. He's sitting up on his own now. He's not crawling though. He flat out refuses to crawl. It's kind of funny. If he wants to go somewhere he just rolls there. He looks like a tumbleweed. I swear he gets there just as fast as if he was crawling. His healer assures me that he'll crawl eventually and not to worry.

I've been keeping up on the news reports from Great Britain. Draco and I often sit together in the mornings laughing over the rubbish that has been printed about me lately. Seriously, where do they come up with this tripe? The latest has me gallivanting around Japan with a harem in tow! Come on! There was also one claiming that I had managed to break into Gringotts Paris branch and completely emptied three vaults before my presence was detected. Of course the goblins promptly issued a statement that no such event had ever even occurred. I swear if they keep this up, The Quibbler is going to have a better reputation.

Draco and I have been getting on rather well, surprisingly. Things were awkward for a bit but we've finally settled into a routine. He and Teddy get on amazingly well and I have to admit he's been a great help. Sometimes when I'm just worn out and can't take anymore, he takes Teddy to the park or feeds him dinner and puts him to bed for me. It's sweet to see them together.

It was after one of those days that things finally resolved between us. My day had been absolute shite and I was on the verge of snapping when Draco came home from work. He took over feeding Teddy for me and sent me for a long soak in the bath. After he'd gotten Teddy to sleep he came and found me still sitting in the tub, curled up as much as my ever expanding stomach would allow, bawling my eyes out. The next thing I knew, a fully clothed Draco Malfoy had climbed in behind me and held my while I cried. I'm not sure if he didn't know what to say or if he just knew I didn't need the empty words of comfort but he just held me until the tears stopped. Then he picked me up out of the tub, cast drying charms on both of us and carried me into my room. He helped me into my pajamas and then allowed me to curl up to him and held me through out the night. When I woke in the morning he was already up feeding Teddy and neither of us spoke of the incident. The only sign that it had ever occurred was the fact that our friendship was more open, like all the walls had come down and there was nothing left to hide. Yes there were still plenty of secrets between us but that didn't matter. What mattered was that, for better or worse, we were in this together and we now knew that we could rely on each other in times of need even the emotional kind.

I finally broke down and wrote to my father about being pregnant. I'd been writing to him but I hadn't worked up the nerve to tell him yet. I guess I was afraid that he'd insist on finding some way to track me down. I sometimes expect to look up and see Fawkes flash into existence and drop a port-key on my head just so that my father could talk to me. I know what I'm doing has to be hurting him but I just can't bring myself to let him know where I am.

Draco is another thing I've been hiding from my father. I've told him that I have a former Hogwarts student as a roommate and helping me but I fear that if I told him who, then it would be easy for someone to find me. And that was the last thing I wanted. I know that despite what Lucius said about wanting kids, he'd do anything to make sure his child wasn't raised with the child of a were-wolf. I tried to explain to Draco my reasoning and he assured me that he understood. In my place he'd probably do the same thing.

I still miss Severus and Lucius dearly. I know that it's not healthy for me to continue to miss them but I just can't help it. I thought we had a future together and it's really difficult for me to let go even though I know it's useless. There's also part of me that worries that they were my one and only chance to have a relationship with anyone. After all, who is going to want to date a wizard that has three children and as much emotional baggage as I do. Draco has suggested I see a mind healer. I'm starting to wonder if he's right.

* * *

_7 months post move, 8 ½ months pregnant_

It's the end of January now and I'm positively humongous! I can barely carry Teddy now because my stomach is so large. Poor kid. I feel kind of bad for him. Every time I do manage to carry him, the twins start kicking like crazy. I'm not sure if it's because they don't like the pressure of him on top of them or if they sense something about him that they either like a lot or don't.

The nursery is all set up. Actually we just expanded Teddy's room for now. The children are so close in age that I don't see the point in separating them. The ceiling was charmed similar to the Great Hall, the only difference being that the ceiling would always shine with the evening stars and the glowing moon, no matter the time of day. The ceiling would change to reflect what constellations would shine above the castle each night.

The walls were painted with a forest scene with different animals roaming in and out of the trees and lounging by the brook. Each of the three cribs appeared to grow right out of the trunk of a tree. It was really very beautiful and I thought it fitting for the child/grandchildren of the still cost a small fortune but it was worth it.

I swear I should just buy stock in Witchlings and Little Wizards with as much money as I've spent there. Yes we already had a lot of things but there were many that we'd need doubles or triples of. Two more cribs, two more high chairs, two more dressers, another basinet, another bouncy seat, a three seater stroller, more clothes and more diapers. And since I'd finally learned to drive I had to buy more car seats. Luckily there were a lot of things we wouldn't need duplicates of like the changing table, baby bath tub, and the playpen.

I'm getting really anxious about the coming birth. I've gone from seeing the healer once a month to once a week which is a little daunting since the only time I leave the house lately is to see him. It's just too much trying to drag my big belly and an infant out into town. My sleep lately has been practically non-existent. I just can't get comfortable. Even being cocooned in pillows and cushioning charms is not helping me. I sleep for about half an hour and then I have to roll over, which is a feat unto itself, and rearrange all my pillows and charms on the other side of me. I really don't know how much more of this I can take. The only good point about no prospects for a husband is that I don't see this happening ever again. Or at least not for a very very long time. I try to take a nap when Teddy takes his, just to get some extra sleep but it's really not helping.

Last night was particularly bad. I've been having cramps off and on all night. I just wish it would quit so that I could get some sleep. I can hear Teddy fussing from his room so I better get up. After struggling for a few minutes I finally managed to drag myself out of bed and onto my feet just as a particularly strong cramp hits me causing me to cry out.

Draco came running into the room.

"Are you ok? What's wrong? Is it the babies?"

I was practically panting through the cramp but I managed to spit out a reply.

"Calm down it's just a cramp. It'll go away in a minute. I've been having them off and on for hours."

"Harry why didn't you call me? Lay back down and let me check you out."

"Dray, I'm fine. It's just a few cramps. Besides Teddy is starting to cry and I need to go get him."

"It's not fine. Just lay back down, I'll change Teddy and bring him in and then I'll give you a quick scan. If it's nothing then fine but I'd rather find out."

"Ok, ok, but I just managed to get out of that stinking bed," I mumbled with a pout complete with a stomp of my foot and my arms crossed over my chest before attempting to crawl back into bed..

By the time I got settled, Draco returned with Teddy. And put him in the play pen in my room. Teddy immediately started fussing.

"Hey now little man. It's just for a minute while I check over daddy. Ok now Harry let me just scan you real quick."

He mumbled a spell pointing his wand at my stomach which instantly caused my abdomen to shimmer a soft yellow.

"Oh, oh, oh, uhmm. Harry we need to go. We've got to get you to the hospital, you're in labor!"

My eyes boggled at this. Oh sweet Merlin, I'm not sure if I'm ready for this. Oh Gods, everything is about to change. When I come home from the hospital, I'll be the father of three infants!

Draco helped me up and grabbed Teddy while I slipped on my shoes and called the healer to let him know I was on my way in. Draco grabbed the diaper bag and my hospital bag and helped me out to the car. On the way to the clinic I had another cramp, well I guess their contractions not cramps but regardless, this shite was starting to hurt!

When we arrived at the hospital the nurses checked me in and performed the same spell that Draco did to confirm my labor. We were in my room waiting for the healer when I really started getting nervous. This was a major life changing event and other than my son and one friend, I'm alone here. Now I wish I'd given in and told my father how to find us. I really want my family here with me. I was just thinking of asking Draco to fire call him when the healer came in.

"Well Harry, I see your children are anxious to make an appearance."

"Yeah, I didn't even realize I was in labor until Draco heard me scream."

"Don't worry that's common in first time parents. Even some that have had a few children don't realized they are in labor until some time has gone by. Now from the monitoring spell, it looks like you all three are doing just fine. What's going to happen is, you'll be taken into the operating suite and the monitoring spells reapplied. Then I'll cast a strong numbing spell that will make it so you don't feel the incision. If anything you'll feel a little tugging but that's about it. Then I'll remove the first child I reach and hand him or her off to a nurse who will take the baby to get cleaned up and bring him or her over to see you. By that time I should have the second baby out. Once both have been born, I'll clean up any excess fluid and seal your incision with a spell. Then I'll apply a salve that will ease any pain and help you heal with little scarring. When you're all three cleaned up you'll be brought back into your room and I'll keep an eye on you and your babies for forty-eight hours. Do you have any questions?"

"No, it's a little scary to think about but I really don't have any questions."

"Ok well, we'll be in to get you in just a few minutes so just relax as best as you can and it'll be over before you know it."

"Thank you Healer Greenwood."

The healer quickly left to make arrangements for the delivery. I looked up at Draco and he must have seen in my eyes what I wanted because he stood and brought Teddy over to me.

"Give Teddy a hug and we'll go fire-call your father."

"Thank you Draco."

* * *

_Draco's POV_

As soon as I picked Teddy back up I left the room and headed for the family lounge where I knew there was an international floo hooked up. Seeing that it was 11am, I realized that it would be dinner time and Professor Dumbledore should be in the Great Hall. I bent down to the floo and tossed in some floo powder. When the flames turned green Teddy and I leaned in and I hollered,

"Hogwarts Great Hall."

It seemed to take forever for the spinning to stop. When it did I shook my head to clear it a little and called out,

"Professor Dumbledore! Professor Dumbledore!"

Soon the elderly man was standing in front of me.

"Mr. Malfoy, what can I do for you this evening? Is that, is that Theodore? Why do you have my grandson?"

"Yes, this is Teddy. I don't have time for explanations. I need you to come through right away. The hospital keeps an international floo set up but you really must hurry Professor. He's gone into labor! The floo address is The Magical Bay. If you hurry you can see him before they take him into surgery."

* * *

**AN: So we're in labor. I did a little time jumping because really not much was going to happen in these months and I needed to get to the delivery but I wanted to show a little about what was happening in their lives. Did anyone catch something they might have thought was weird? If you did, yes I did it on purpose, you'll see why later.**

**Before anyone asks, ****NO, DRACO WILL ONLY EVER BE A FRIEND ****nothing more. The tub scene was just a friend comforting another distraught friend.**

**I really need a beta, why? Because I realized another oops I made so I'm going to have to go back and fix it. Nothing worth re-reading the chapter for but so that you know, I'm going to go back to the conversation where Severus wants Albus to send Fawkes to Harry and take out the discussion about Fawkes all together. Since in the U.S. muggles know about magic it wouldn't be an issue for Fawkes to be seen and with Albus holding the political positions he has, he would know that. **

**So almost done. Depending on how the chapters flow out there will be one or two more chapters and then the epilogue. Could be less depending on how what I have in my head ends up on the screen.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Family is Everything**

**Alternative Version**

**Disclaimer: While I love the books, if I owned the rights to them, the story would have been different.**

**Summary: The war is over and Harry is starting his life with Severus and Lucius. The arrival of his godson changes his perspective on the men in his life causing him to flee the country. This is an alternative to my original story line. BRIEF HP/SS/LM, HP/SS. Ignores HBP and DH. AU/OOC MPREG**

* * *

_**AN: Just a heads up for a lot of angst in about half of this chapter but don't get testy, I should be finished with the beating up on poor Severus.**_

* * *

_Back at Hogwarts_

Ever since they'd received the first letter from Harry, Severus had become increasingly agitated. He was restless. He didn't like the fact that the man he loved was halfway around the world and thought Severus didn't want him. Severus felt he was dying inside knowing his love was in such pain. He wished he could just run off and find him but he really had nothing to go on. California was a big state. Yes they knew he was living near Unicorn Alley but from what they've heard, that was a large area. Almost as big as San Francisco itself. How could he possibly find him? The muggle saying, finding a needle in a haystack seemed very fitting.

It had been two months since Harry left. Albus had finally received a second letter from Harry. He hoped that this one brought news of how to contact him. Albus unfortunately dashed those hopes.

"I am sorry my boy. Here. Read for yourself."

_**Dear Father,**_

_**I hope this letter finds you well. We are doing ok. Well actually I've been a little sick lately. It's not that big of a deal. I'm sure it's just the flu, although right now I'd kill for a pepper-up from Poppy. Don't tell her I said that or she'd never let me live it down. Tell her, I promise if I'm not better in a day or two, I'll see a healer.**_

_**Teddy's doing well. Growing quicker than I ever could have imagined. He's starting to explore the world around him. It's funny to watch him try to roll his chubby belly over onto his side so he can reach a toy. I've sent some pictures I've taken recently. I hope they will suffice until you can see him again.**_

_**Nothing much else is going on. I'm thinking of trying to find work. Maybe an apprenticeship somewhere. Not that I need the work but just to have something more constructive to do with my time. On the other hand, I'm leery about leaving Teddy with anyone. He's so little and the thought of leaving him with a stranger scares me to death. So maybe I'll have to hold off on that thought for awhile and just enjoy being with my son as he grows.**_

_**I want to learn how to drive but again that means leaving Teddy with someone for awhile so I guess that plan is also going to be on hold for awhile.**_

_**We've been traveling around both the muggle and magical areas investigating the sites. It's beautiful here but way more congested than I am used to. I like the quiet of Hogwarts better but I suppose this is home now so I need to get used to it.**_

_**Well, I am going to sign off now. I'll write soon.**_

_**Your son,**_

_**Harry**_

"I don't understand Albus, why wont he tell you how to contact him? Surely he can't like being so alone out there. You would think he would want to be able to talk to someone or at the very least, receive a letter every now and then."

"He just needs time. He will come around soon."

* * *

Severus thought he was going to lose his mind. It had now been three months since Harry left. Three months of not knowing where his Harry was and if he was really honestly safe.

Severus was even more agitated than normal for the start of the school year. While normally a surely teacher, this year he had even managed to make some of his first year Slytherins cry the first night of the year. That was a feat he didn't think had ever been accomplished before and he felt worse for it. Oh he knew that in all likelihood, it had happened before but never in his presence like he had witnessed this year. For the first time ever, he honestly felt bad for making a student cry. He had left the crying students to be dealt with by the prefects and headed back to his own chambers and straight to the liquor cabinet. It was only as his hand met thin air that he remembered that there wasn't anything in there. After his last spectacular drinking binge, Albus had banished the entire contents of the cabinet and cast wards that prevented alcohol from even being brought into his chambers. Evidently Albus thought it was the only way to ensure he didn't drink himself to death.

Another letter arrived this morning and Severus only had to take one look at Albus to know that the news wasn't what he wanted to hear. No words were said as Albus passed the letter and pictures over to Severus.

_**Dear Father,**_

_**Your doing well I hope? I miss you. I miss Hogwarts. I wish that we were there with you but its just not in the cards so I'll have to survive by writing to you and sharing what we've been doing lately.**_

_**We're both doing well. Teddy is finally sleeping through the night. I'm so glad for that.**_

_**Oh we've bought a house! I wanted something bigger so I bought a house near The Alley. It's a really nice two story home. Four bedrooms and a bath on the second floor with a potions lab in the basement. The lab makes me thing of Severus which just makes me want to cry so I don't go down there for any reason. Not that I really have a need for a potions lab anyways. Otherwise I love the house. It has a big back yard and I've already added a small swing set with an infant seat for Teddy. There's also a decent size garden. I picked up a book that showed me how to grow vegetables year round without building an entire green house so we've got a bunch of fruits and vegetables growing out there.**_

_**I know this will come as a shock but I've also taken on a roommate. He was at Hogwarts with me even though we weren't exactly friends at the time. He's been over here for awhile but hadn't found a permanent place yet so it worked out for him to move in. Teddy adores him which is a plus since he's a great help when I need a break. We've got a lot in common. Neither of us have much family left, we're both basically alone over here and neither one of us are in a hurry to be found. **_

_**Sorry this letter isn't very long but Teddy's getting hungry so I'll write more soon.**_

_**Love,**_

_**Harry**_

_Switching to Severus' POV_

My heart sunk into my stomach reading the last part of the Harry's letter. I was starting to panic. Oh Gods! He's starting to move on! He doesn't even know that it was a big misunderstanding and he's moving on. This can't be happening I can't lose him. I love him. I've come to realize that I was using Lucius for comfort, companionship and sex but I genuinely love Harry. I can't let him do this without giving me a chance to explain.

Albus must have noticed my increasing agitation because he put a hand on my arm and drew my attention back to him.

"Calm down Severus. Let's go to my office and we can talk."

I couldn't even answer him, I just nodded my head, picked up the letter and pictures and followed him out of the Great Hall and into his office. He tried to offer me a seat but I couldn't sit so I paced.

"Severus, what has gotten into you? Calm down and tell me what has upset you so."

"I think I have every damn right to be upset Albus! You told me to give him time. You told me to trust the man I love. You told me everything would be alright. Well it's not alright Albus. It's never going to be alright again. It's over."

"Where on earth did you come up with that conclusion. He seems happy but misses home. I fail to see how that has gotten you so upset."

"You just don't get it do you? He's found someone to live with. Some guy his own age that he's known for years and they are living together. HE'S MOVING ON ALBUS! HE'S MOVING ON and leaving me alone."

The last part was nearly a whisper and I just could not take it anymore and finally collapsed. Right there on the floor in the headmaster's office, the great Severus Snape, emotionless vampire and over all greasy bat of the dungeons collapsed into a ball on the floor and started crying. With tears streaming down my cheeks I just sat there and rocked back and forth with my arms around my chest hugging myself. Oh how the mighty have fallen. If some of my enemies, or hell even students, could see me now they'd probably laugh their asses off before sneering at me in disgust. I can practically hear my father's condescending voice in my head telling me that this is what I get for thinking anyone would ever love a disgusting freak like me. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder and when I turned my head I saw Albus in all his ancient glory sitting on the floor next to me pulling me into a hug. I couldn't take it and buried my self into his shoulder and cried even harder. I have no idea how long we sat like that. Him whispering words of comfort and reassurance and me just venting years of pent-up tears of frustration, grief and hopelessness.

"Hush now, dry those tears and listen to me. Just because he's living with a friend does not mean he's moved on. They are two people in a strange land seeking the companionship of a familiar face. That doesn't mean that it's more than that. They are two boys on their own in the world that happened to stumble across each other. You read the letter for yourself. They were not even really friends in school. And besides, you do not know if this other gentleman is even gay. By jumping to conclusions you are only causing yourself more grief and heartache. Please, trust me, as hurt as Harry was when he left he would not be ready to jump into a relationship so quick. I know my son and I am sure that this is just a matter of familiarity and convenience."

"But what if that convenience factor turns into an excuse for more? What happens when one or both of them needs physical comfort and looks to the convenient friend that is living in the same house?"

"Do you trust me Severus?"

"Of course I do. I may not always understand you and I have often thought you were off your rocker but I have always trusted you."

"Most would say I am always "off my rocker;" however that is beside the point. Do you trust Harry?"

"Always."

"Do you trust that he loves you?"

"Yes. Without a doubt."

"Then trust in him and his love for you. Know that no matter what happens, he would not just get over you that quickly. It is obvious from his letter that he still cares for you and he still hurts from being away from you so I do not believe that he would move on so quickly. I do not believe that he would ever fall into the trap of a relationship of convenience."

"I want to believe that Albus, I really do, I just don't know. I need to find him. I need to bring him home. I need to have him in my arms and show him how much I love him."

"Soon my boy. It will be time soon and you will have your chance; however the time is not yet upon us."

* * *

Twice since that episode I have tried to leave. Both times Albus was waiting at the doors in the entrance hall to take my bag from me and turn me back to my rooms. Each time I try to protest and explain myself before finally giving in and trusting that Albus knows best. I know people say that he knows everything that happens in his castle; however, I never really believed it until now.

* * *

Four months my arms have been empty. Four months my bed has been cold. Four months my heart has been breaking. Four long agonizing months since my Harry left me. Albus has received a letter a month since Harry left. There should be a new one arriving soon if his pattern holds true. I wish he'd break his own self-imposed pattern. I wish he'd write more. I wish he'd fire-call. I wish he'd let us contact him. I wish he'd just come home.

I took my seat at the Head Table for breakfast and notice the blinding twinkle in Albus' eyes. Hell, I would be surprised if the students at the back of the hall could not see it! I wonder what's gotten into him. Maybe Harry is finally allowing communication to come through. I could barely contain the hope in my voice when I spoke.

"Has another letter arrived Albus?"

"Why yes, I was just finishing reading it. While it's not exactly the news we were hoping for, I think you'll find the news very exciting. And perhaps it will even calm your fears a little."

I took the letter and began to read it.

_**Dear Father,**_

_**I have something I need to tell you that I have been putting off since I found out two months ago. I am not ashamed and in fact now that the shock has worn off, I'm thrilled. Yet I worry about how you will take the news. Please understand that this doesn't change anything. In fact it reinforces my decision to stay here. Ok I don't think I can stall any longer. So I'm just going to write the words. I am Pregnant! There I said it. Well ok I wrote it. **_

_**Shocking news isn't it? Oh it gets better. I'm having twins! The healer says it's a little boy and a little girl. They are due the first week of February but he said to expect them to arrive in January as twins tend to come early.**_

_**Big news I know. It's been a lot to process but I'm doing better now. My friend has been a great help. At first he was insistent that I contact Severus and Lucius but once I talked to him some more, he understood why I can't do that. No matter their opinion on having more children, I fear that they would take the children just so that a Malfoy or a Snape wouldn't be raised with the son of a were-wolf. **_

_**You know, it really hurts to think that way about the men I loved. Well, still love really. I think Lucius may have been more of an infatuation but I really love Severus with all my heart and after everything we've been through it hurts to think of him like this. With as much as they hurt me, I don't know if I'll ever be ready to date again. It's probably for the best though. I need to concentrate on my children.**_

_**Teddy is growing like a weed. Rolling all over the place and crashing into things but he's as adorable as ever. He did his first bought of accidental magic the other day. He was in his playpen and decided he wanted his pacifier that was on the end table and he summoned it to himself. I couldn't be prouder of him! His healer says he's going to be pretty powerful when he gets older if he's showing that strong of accidental magic at only six months.**_

_**So that's about all our news for now. I've sent, as always, new pictures of us. **_

_**I hope all is well there. I miss you all.**_

_**Love,**_

_**Harry**_

I sat there staring at the letter in shock with my mouth hung open. At first I almost couldn't finish the letter think Harry had gone and gotten pregnant by his roommate but once I finished reading it I was stunned. I'm going to be a father! Me Severus Snape, a father! I had hoped that it would someday happen but I never really thought my dreams would come true. I'M GOING TO BE A FATHER!!! And Harry still loves me. He's not dating anyone! It was taking everything I had not to stand up and start dancing on the spot! I snapped my jaw shut when I heard Albus speak.

"So. I think congratulations are in order."

"Indeed, it would seem so. Thank you Albus. I can hardly believe it! I honestly never thought this would ever happen. Not only am I going to be a father but I am going to have a son and a daughter!"

"It's truly wonderful news to hear. Just remember, I expect to see my granddaughter dressed in pink not black."

I do believe I shocked the entire school when I started loudly chuckling at that comment before I sobered up. I looked down at the table trying to steel my nerve. I know he really can not stop me but I have always hated seeing disappointment in his eyes. Not looking up at him I spoke in low tones.

"I am leaving Albus. I can not just sit here and wait and hope he comes back or sends word of his location. I have to go find him. I can not just sit back and wait, I do not wish to miss a minute of my children's lives."

"Bring them home to us."

With that infuriating twinkle still blazing in his eyes he stood and left the Great Hall, a very surprising spring in his elderly step. I followed him out. I have much to do before I can leave and leave I will. I am going to find my family and bring them home at last.

* * *

_**AN: My original plan was not to end the chapter here but it seemed to be a very good stopping point so I went with it. Besides I was at nearly 3000 words and I knew if it went further I could double that which would have also caused a delay in posting so there you have it. **_

_**I know last chapter I said 1 or 2 plus the epilogue left but with splitting this chapter in to two parts I'm going to say at this point 2 chapters plus the epilogue.**_

_**While I have your attention, I wanted to recommend a great story, it's actually the reason this wasn't out sooner. I stumbled upon a Carlisle/Bella Twilight story that I just loved and had trouble walking away from it before I was finished reading it. Anyways, it's called Summer Sun and I believe the author goes by ItHappens.**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Family is Everything**

**Alternative Version**

**Disclaimer: While I love the books, if I owned the rights to them, the story would have been different.**

**Summary: The war is over and Harry is starting his life with Severus and Lucius. The arrival of his godson changes his perspective on the men in his life causing him to flee the country. This is an alternative to my original story line. BRIEF HP/SS/LM, HP/SS. Ignores HBP and DH. AU/OOC MPREG**

* * *

It took a week; however, I am finally ready to go find my love and children and bring them home. I would have left sooner but I realized that I needed to make more thorough plans.

Albus arranged for a long term substitute to take over my classes and I needed to go over lesson plans with her. I also spent a great amount of time going over all the letters and pictures that Harry sent in hopes of finding some clue to his exact whereabouts. I really did not have much to go on. I knew that he lived in a two story home near Unicorn Alley but other than being a magical neighborhood, I had no other leads. None of the pictures he sent showed the outside of the house so there was only a vague description to go on. Some of the pictures showed parks that would hopefully help narrow down where Harry liked to take Teddy; however, there really wasn't anything that stood out to him about the parks.

Albus gave me the name of the person that met Harry at the airport but with being under a wizards oath I doubt he'll be much help. Harry didn't give the names of anyone he had met. The only real clue I have is that Harry is living with a former Hogwarts student and being pregnant he would require regular medical visits. At least this gives me something to go on. The likelihood of their being more of Harry's classmates in the area are small so if I spot someone I recognize they might lead me to Harry.

After everything I needed was packed, I gave one last look to my chambers and headed out to meet Albus in the entrance hall.

"Are you sure you will not allow me to accompany you to the airport?"

"No thank you Albus, I shall manage just fine. Besides, I refuse to travel in one of those muggle contraptions. I'll be using an international floo from Gringotts."

"Then I wish you well on your trip. Be safe and make sure you send word as soon as you find them. If you need any assistance, please let me know."

* * *

_5 months post move - Harry is 6 months pregnant_

I have been in California for two weeks now and so far I have had no luck. The goblins of course refused to help, stating that they respect their clients confidentiality. They refused to even hold a letter just in case Harry came in.

Every day I have gotten up and searched everywhere that I could think to look. I started in the main part of Unicorn Alley going in to every shop that I thought Harry might visit and showing pictures of him and Teddy. I know he has been in at least Truly Charmed and Witchlings and Little Wizards yet the staff in both stores refused to acknowledge as much. When I threatened to hex the witch that ran the baby store, I quickly discovered myself out on the street with Aurors descending upon me. I tried to explain my situation and all they had to say was that I needed to move along or I would be arrested! Why can't they understand what I am doing? I am not trying to cause trouble. I am just trying to find my family. I asked the Aurors if I could file a missing person report and was informed that as Harry was an adult and left Britain of his own free will, there was nothing I could do.

I wanted to put an ad in the newspaper or perhaps do an interview with a reporter yet I did not follow through with that idea. I know Harry would flee if he thought his location had been compromised.

* * *

_7 ½ months post move - Harry is 8 ½ months pregnant_

Nearly three months I have been here searching for Harry. I am starting to lose hope. The area is huge and I have hardly any information to go on. Each day I walk the streets of the business areas hoping I would catch him shopping or visiting the healer. So far my efforts have been useless. Before the weather turned chilly, I stalked the parks hoping for just a trace of him and nothing.

A few weeks ago I swore I saw Draco. I ran to follow him and when I turned a corner he looked over his shoulder and disapparated away. I am not sure if he realized it was me. Hell, I am not even sure that it was Draco yet if it wasn't the resemblance was uncanny.

I swear if it wasn't for Albus' letters assuring me, I would think that Harry had left the area. This place is just too huge for me to search on my own. Last week I broke down and hired a private investigator. I am meeting with him this morning to see if he has any information for me. I was seated in the tavern of The Black Cauldron impatiently waiting for my contact to arrive. Finally, twenty minutes late, the man finally arrived.

"Mr. Snape, I apologize for my delay. I have the report for you and I think you'll be happy with my results."

He handed me a file while I slid him his payment.

"If there is anything else you require from me, please contact me again."

I was busy reading through the report and waved my hand to dismiss him. He'd done it. I have been here for months and gotten no where and in only one week, he'd found my Harry! The report showed his address and included pictures. There were many of Harry coming in and out of the house looking extremely pregnant and very beautiful. Some showed Harry by himself and others showed Harry playing in the yard with Teddy. The one that startled me was the one that showed Harry leaving the house with Teddy being carried by none other than Draco Malfoy, my very own godson.

Draco was his roommate. Draco was the not quite friend from his Hogwarts days. My temper rose quickly and my magic flared cracking the mirror behind the bar as I realized that my own godson had been helping to hide Harry from me. I never thought that Draco would turn on me like that. He knew that Harry was pregnant with his child or children and he didn't tell me!

Well, I knew where Harry was and I was going to go find him right now. Standing up I tossed some money to the barkeep and stormed out of the tavern. It took me nearly an hour to walk to Harry's home. The entire time I was cursing the fact that this magical community allowed cars yet didn't seem to have many, if any cars for hire and since I had never been there and did not know the area I could not apparate there.

I finally arrived and took a deep calming breath and tried to collect myself before climbing the steps and knocking on the door. A few minutes went by and no one answered so I knocked again. Another few minutes went by and I realized that no one was home. I really did not know what to do. I finally located him and now he's not home. I decided to just sit and wait for them to return.

While I waited I thought about what I would do to convince Harry. I know at first he is not going to want to believe anything I have to say so I'll have to find someway to prove it to him. I can not go home without him. I don't care if I have to stay here and come back every day, I have to make him understand.

I'd been there for an hour when the neighbor next door came out and noticed me sitting on the porch.

"Excuse me, are you waiting for Mr. Dumbledore or Mr. Malfoy?"

"Yes, I am waiting for Harry. I am from England and he was not expecting me to arrive, I wanted to surprise him. Do you know where he is or when he might return?"

"I'm sorry but if your planning on waiting, you'll be there a long time. I saw them this morning heading for the car. Mr. Dumbledore has gone into labor."

"WHAT! Oh Merlin. Can you tell me how to get to the hospital?"

"Well sure but do you think that's a good idea? They would be a little busy I would imagine."

"Listen madam, I don't care if you think they're busy. I'm not going to miss my children being born!"

My proclamation startled the woman. She must have thought Draco was the father. That thought disgusted me.

"Oh my, yes, yes, come with me and you can use my floo."

I followed her into the house and whispered a thank you when she handed me some floo powder and told me the floo address.

When I finally stopped spinning, I stepped out of the fireplace as quickly and as gracefully as I could. Brushing off the soot I looked up when I heard someone call my name.

"Severus! Good good. I was just about to send a patronus out to find you. How on earth do you know to come here?"

Albus. I should have known someone would have contacted him.

"My private investigator located their home and when I went there, the neighbor informed me of what was happening. How is he? Can I see him?"

"Uncle Sev, it's good to see you."

I felt a growl rising in my chest when I turned to Draco.

"Well you could have seen me sooner had you taken a moment to write to me to tell me where you were. I'll deal with you later. HOW IS HARRY?"

"Calm down Uncle Sev, I was only doing as Harry asked and until I spoke to Professor Dumbledore just now, I assumed we were doing the right thing. Now settle down. They are prepping Harry for the delivery now."

"I will not settle down. Where's the nurses station? Those children are not coming into this world without me there."

Albus put his hand on my shoulder.

"Severus, I know that you want to be there; however, think about this. Harry is going through a lot right now. There is not enough time before the delivery for you to explain and it will only cause further distress to him if you go charging into the room right before the children are born. I know you want to be there but please, let me see if I can get in to talk to him first. Let me see if he would be comfortable allowing you into the room first. If not then I promise to stay by his side through the entire thing."

"Hurry up old man. I've missed too much already and I can't miss this."

Albus nodded and made his way to find a nurse. All I could do at the moment was pace and send nasty glares at my godson while I waited.

* * *

_Switching to Harry's POV_

I was alone in my room waiting for the nurses to come get me when I heard the door open. I looked up and a smile lit my face when I saw my father.

"Father, I'm glad you could make it."

He walked to the bed and gave me a hug before sitting down on the side of the bed.

"I am glad to have made it as well. All though I wish you had contacted me earlier. You've had me extremely worried with not being able to reach you. There is a lot that has happened that you do not know about. I hate to do this considering the present circumstances but Harry, I need you to listen to me. Listen and not interrupt."

"Ok."

"Severus is here."

I opened my mouth but he raised his hand and I let him continue speaking.

"Harry, he has been here for months searching for you. He was devastated when you left. He nearly drank himself to death, my boy. He does love you and he wants to help you raise the children. All three of them. Regardless of who fathered who."

"You're wrong Albus. He made it clear he sided with Lucius."

"No Harry. You left without hearing the entire conversation. If you had stayed you would have heard him choose you."

"I don't think I can believe that."

"Give him a chance and he can prove it to you. He wants this Harry. He wants you and the children. By the time I had returned to the castle that day, Severus had thrown Lucius out and he has not been back since. I know that you do not want to believe any of this but it is true. I will swear an oath on my magic if I must to prove it to you."

Thousands of thoughts were swirling through my mind. How can this be? Does he really want us or does he just want them? Surely, my father wouldn't lie to me about this. At a time like this. But I just don't know. He hurt me horribly and I don't know if I can trust him.

"That won't be necessary from you Father. From him maybe but not you."

"I am glad you trust me on this. Now, I know your dealing with a lot right now and your about to give birth; however, Severus has asked that you allow him to see you. He would like to be present for the birth."

"I don't know Father. I'm not sure if it would be wise."

"Harry, not long ago I asked Severus the questions I am about to ask you. Do you love him?"

"You know I do."

"Do you trust him?"

"Until that day, I trusted him with my life. Now I'm not so sure."

"How about this question, do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Then trust me when I tell you that he loves you. Trust me when I tell you that your trust in him is still deserved. He will not harm you and he will not try to take the children from you. He simply wants a chance to explain and to be there when the children are born. There's a good chance that one or both of those children are his and he deserves to be there."

I thought about what my father had said. I did trust my father and until that horrible day, I had always trusted Severus. I'm just not sure if I can still trust him with my family.

"I'll allow him to come in but I want an oath that he will not take the children out of this hospital without my permission. And I want a complete explanation of his side of the story later today."

Just then two nurses came in.

"We're ready for you Mr. Dumbledore."

My father stood up and turned to leave with a smile on his face and that ever annoying twinkle in his eyes.

"I will send him in. Good luck my son, and I can not wait to meet my grandchildren."

* * *

_**AN:**_

_**I'll admit that I am not happy with this chapter. I've been playing with it for awhile and I just can't make it come out just right. So I gave up and went with the best version.**_

_**Next chapter is the delivery and explanations.**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Family is Everything**

**Alternative Version**

**Disclaimer: While I love the books, if I owned the rights to them, the story would have been different.**

**Summary: The war is over and Harry is starting his life with Severus and Lucius. The arrival of his godson changes his perspective on the men in his life causing him to flee the country. This is an alternative to my original story line. BRIEF HP/SS/LM, HP/SS. Ignores HBP and DH. AU/OOC MPREG**

* * *

_**AN: So here's the answers to some questions. Oh and a little surprise too**__._

* * *

_Severus POV_

Oh Merlin! I'm so nervous. I have waited for this moment for 7 months and I'm ashamed to admit, I am scared to death. What if he doesn't listen to me? What if he doesn't believe me? How am I going to make him understand what really happened that day?

And the children. My children, I just know they are mine, are about to be born. My whole life is about to change, for the better or worse all depends on Harry but my life is about to change one way or another.

To whatever deity is up there listening, please let everything go well. Please let him see the truth. Please let him and our children come through this just fine. Please let them come home to me.

Schooling my features as best as I can to hide my nervousness, I make my way into the delivery room. A nurse stops me before I could take more than three steps.

"I'm sorry sir but you can't be in here."

I swear my heart stopped beating. Before I heard a timid voice from further in the room. His voice.

"It's… it's alright. I said he could come in."

My face lit up with probably the first real smile since I found out Harry was pregnant.

"Harry." It came out slightly more breathless than I would care to admit.

He looked up at me shyly.

"Severus."

"Oh Harry. There's so much we need to talk about. There's so much I need to tell you."

"That's what my father said but it will have to wait for later. While I'm not sure if I should, I'll let you stay."

"Thank you Harry."

"There are two conditions though."

I nodded for him continue.

"The first is that before this day is over I want proof that what my father said is true."

"I will gladly give you whatever it takes."

"The second is that I want a wizards oath that you will not try to take custody of the children from me, that's if they are yours of course. Not now, not ever."

I wanted to cry. I could feel the color draining from my face. After everything we've been through, he has no faith in me. He doesn't trust me. This is hopeless. He's never going to believe me if it takes a stupid oath just to allow me near the children. How could he think so poorly of me? I know that he has feared I would take the children but to have it slap me in the face like that was like a knife to my heart. I schooled my features to an emotionless mask, or at least that was my intention.

"As you wish. **I SEVERUS TOBIAS SNAPE SWEAR AN OATH ON MY LIFE AND MAGIC THAT I WILL NEVER TRY TO REMOVE MY CHILDREN FROM THE CUSTODY OF HARRY JAMES POTTER. SO MOTE IT BE."**

My magic swirled around the two of us making the oath binding. I was about to say something to Harry when I heard chuckling. I looked to my right and found the healer trying not to break into a full out laugh! How dare he laugh over something like this!?

"Well, I must say. I've seen a lot of things happen in this room; however, I can honestly say I've never seen anything like that. Now if you are through, how about we deliver these babies."

I looked to Harry and for the first time since I entered the room he actually allowed me to meet his eyes. They were filled with a flurry of emotion. Love, sorrow, hurt and hope. I tried to let my emotions bleed into my eyes and I am sure that mine showed a similar mix. We stared into each other's eyes for a moment before I turned and nodded to the healer.

With a flick of his wrist I felt a strong cleaning charm pass over me. Another flick set up a curtain so that Harry and I could not witness the surgical aspects of what was about to happen.

I sat on a stool near Harry's head. I wanted so badly to hold his hand; however, I was sure he wouldn't allow it. Yet I could not resist raising a hang and wiping his bangs from his eyes. He reached up and I was positive he was going to swat my hand away so I was startled when he clutched it in his own and gave a small squeeze. Maybe there was hope for us after all.

Then the healer was speaking.

"Alright Harry. I'm going to numb you up and then I'll start the incision. When I'm ready to pull the first baby out, you'll probably feel a little tugging. It's normal so don't worry unless you feel actual pain, in which case tell me."

Harry didn't say anything, just nodded his head while staring at the ceiling.

Two minutes went by and I was starting to get anxious. Suddenly I heard a baby's cry and the healer was holding a little boy over the curtain.

"He's your son. I'm going to give him to the nurses to clean up and then they will bring him over to you."

I stared at the baby while the nurses took him to be cleaned up. A son. Our son. No matter the father, that boy is my son. And he was probably the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

Another cry soon joined the first. The healer reached over the curtain and held up an angelic looking little girl.

"And your daughter. While the nurses clean her up I'm going to check you over just to make sure everything is ok and then I'll clean you up and close the incision."

By that time the nurses were finished with our son and brought him over for Harry to hold. I could see Harry's face light up with a blissful smile. The baby was perfect. Ten fingers, ten toes, a petite little nose and pitch black hair. Not Harry's dark nearly black hair but pitch black. Just like mine. From the kinkiness of it, I am sure he'll have Harry's bird's nest hair style. I knew that his eyes would be blue for awhile yet but I hoped that he had Harry's eyes.

I looked back to check on our daughter when I heard a surprised sound from the other side of the curtain. I was instantly alarmed. Fearful that something might happen to Harry.

"Is everything ok? Harry's alright isn't he?"

The healer started that blasted chuckling again! I swear I am going to hex that man before this is all said and done.

"Oh everything is just fine. Shocking but just fine."

As he said that, another softer cry could suddenly be heard in the room.

"I'd like you to meet your other daughter."

He held the baby up over the curtain and I nearly fainted. Harry's head jerked up in surprise as the announcement.

"I'm not sure how she stayed hidden from me all this time but here she is. Now unless there's another surprise hidden in here, I'll finish up."

The nurses brought our first daughter over and went to hand her to me. I looked at Harry and while he appeared doubtful, he nodded. I took the babe in my arms and she was just gorgeous. Ten perfect and long fingers. Ten perfect toes. Like her brother she also had pitch black hair although her's appeared straight, opposed to her brother's kinky hair. She looked up at me and stared. I swear she was looking into my very soul before she snuggled up and went to sleep.

Another nurse appeared with the other little girl and I looked to Harry not sure what to do or who should hold her. He made the decision for me when he handed me the babe he was already holding and opened his arms for the nurse to place the little girl in them.

I could see she was just as perfect as her siblings. Harry checked her over, counting fingers and toes making sure they were all there. He was truly breathtaking holding that little angel. She was the spitting image of her sister.

I was brought out of my musings when I heard the healer speak.

"Alright Harry. You're good to go. We'll move you back into your room now. I know you have some people waiting outside. Would you like to send your friend out to them or would you like me to send a nurse?"

Harry hesitated for a moment and I clutched the children just a little tighter, fearing he would have me hand them over.

"If it's alright, could you send a nurse with the news. And ask them to wait until someone comes for them. Severus and I need to talk before I see anyone else."

"Certainly Harry. It's not a problem."

* * *

_Switching to Harry's POV_

We finally made it back to my room and I was settled into bed holding my two daughters. While I was nervous as all hell, I allowed Severus to hold my son. I still wasn't 100% sure on who their father was but I had a pretty good idea. The healer agreed to run the test but I want to get this over with with Severus first. I'm scared to hear what he has to say but if I'm ever going to get on with my life, then I need to know if he and my father are lying to me or not.

"Alright Severus, let's hear it. What kind of story do you have for me?"

"I've been thinking about this Harry and I think there are only two ways I can prove to you beyond a shadow of a doubt. Since I do not have any Veritaserum with me, I would like to ask you to just view the memories for yourself. It's one of the worst days of my life and I have no want to relive it yet I know it's the only way I have at the moment for you to truly believe me. That is, if you are willing."

I didn't want to. I really did not want to watch that scene when I had heard enough of it already but I knew I had to. I love this man and if I'm ever going to trust in what he and my father have said, I need to see this with my own two eyes. I steeled my courage, placed the babies in the bassinets by my bed and reached for my wand.

"Alright Severus. Legilimens."

I drove into his mind looking for the memory of that horrible day. Along the way I spotted many others that made me pause. There was Severus walking up to my front door. Severus waiting outside the clinic. Severus walking through different stores asking about me. Severus elated at the news of my pregnancy. Severus looking sad, asking my father for any news. Severus devouring the letters I wrote to my father. His fingers caressing the pictures of Teddy and I. Severus screaming at my father. Severus curled into my father crying. Severus tormenting the students more than normal. Severus breaking a glass before falling to his knees in tears. Severus decorating a child's room. And then, there it was, the memory I didn't want to see and knew I had to.

When I finally pulled out of his mind, I had tears streaming down my face. Oh sweet Merlin! What have I done!? How could he sit there asking to prove himself when I am the one that should be begging for forgiveness. I didn't trust him enough. I didn't trust our love enough. I walked away and caused both of us so much pain. FOR NOTHING! It was all for nothing! He stood up for me. He wanted us and I threw him away because I couldn't bear to hear the rest of the conversation, certain I would be the one tossed aside like garbage. How can HE ever forgive ME?

I looked up and was startled to see tears rolling down his face. Other than those memories, I've never seen him cry. It was like a slap in my face, showing me just how much I'd hurt this wonderful man.

"Oh Severus. I… I don't know how I can ever show you how sorry I am. How can you ever forgive me?"

"Harry, there's nothing to forgive. It was a tragic, horrible misunderstanding. Just please, please tell me you'll come home. Please tell me we can work this out. I'll do anything Harry. Anything. Just don't keep my family from me. I couldn't bear it if you and the children disappeared from my life."

"We still need to talk more Severus. We have a lot to work out. I like it here and I'm not sure I want to leave but I do want to give us a shot. I still love you Sev."

"And I you my Harry."

We talked for about an hour. We talked about the children and what to name them. We talked about how to get to a place that was perhaps better than it was before in our relationship. We still had a lot to work out but I was confident we could do it. Together.

The healer came in and cast a paternity spell on each of the children and then he sent a nurse to bring the others into the room.

* * *

_Narrator POV_

Albus, Draco and young Teddy came into the room and were greeted with the sight of a smiling Harry sitting in his hospital bed that someone had enlarged to allow Severus to sit in it as well. Severus holding two bundles in pink and Harry holding one in blue.

Teddy instantly reached for his father and the men proceeded to introduce him to his new baby brother and sisters.

Albus and Draco were surprised yet thrilled to see the sight of triplets instead of twins. And they were even more elated when Severus leaned down and captured Harry's lips in a gentle kiss over the top of the children's heads.

They took turns passing the children around until Severus held one girl, Albus held the other, Draco held the little boy and Harry held Teddy.

Finally Draco couldn't take it any more and blurted out, in a totally un-Malfoy like way,

"So out with it already. What are their names? And am I holding my brother or god-brother?"

Severus looked up with great pride in his eyes as he said,

"You, my bratty godson, are holding Cyan Tobias Dumbledore-Snape. Albus, you have the privilege of holding Veridian Lillith Dumbledore-Snape. And this little darling is Krymsin (pronounced Crimson) Eileen Dumbledore-Snape."

* * *

_**AN: And there we have it. Only the epilogue left. I hope you liked it. I'm still not certain about these last two chapters but oh well, their done now.**_

_**Ok for the children's names, yes I know they are weird. They are magical children, they are entitled to be weird. Yes I know they are all color names, even if the spelling is different. I told my husband if we ever had another daughter, I wanted to name her Krymsin. It's odd but I like it. Not that he can argue since he named our youngest Ciencia. **_

_**For Veridian, I read it in in a story some time ago and thought it was pretty cool. Sorry for not giving recognition to the original author or asking to borrow it but I seriously don't remember who it was because it was so long ago. I also thought it fitting that the girls names are variations of red and green, Gryffindor and Slytherin. **_

_**Cyan I actually had to look up. Since the girls names were both colors, I thought it fitting that he would have a color name to. Once I saw it, I knew it was the right name. I actually knew someone named that once.**_


	11. Epilogue

**Family is Everything**

**Alternative Version**

**Disclaimer: While I love the books, if I owned the rights to them, the story would have been different.**

**Summary: The war is over and Harry is starting his life with Severus and Lucius. The arrival of his godson changes his perspective on the men in his life causing him to flee the country. This is an alternative to my original story line. BRIEF HP/SS/LM, HP/SS. Ignores HBP and DH. AU/OOC MPREG**

* * *

_Sorry for the wait. My husband was in the hospital for a few days and when I finally got time to sit and write this, nothing seemed to work right. I'm not sure if it's the stress of what has happened in my real life the past week or if it's just writers block but this chapter just didn't want to come. _

_Ok so it's finished now and I'll be starting to work on the original version by the end of the week. I'm hoping to have the next chapter of it up by Monday._

**A note about the previous chapter. A couple of people commented in reviews or in private message about wanting confirmation, Yes Severus was the father of all 3 children. I assumed it was obvious since all the children were given his last name and two of them were named after his family. I guess I really didn't take into account that he'd been referring to them as his children since he found out about them. **

* * *

_August 20__th__ 2010_

"Harry I do not understand why you insist on traveling on these stupid muggle contraptions. You know as well as I do that when we get to London, we'll be traveling by port-key so why not save us all the time and headache and just take the blasted port-key now?"

They had had this argument many times in the past. In fact, they had this same argument in June and August of every year for the past eleven years. Severus never could understand Harry's reluctance to travel such a long distance with the children by magical means and Harry never could understand Severus reluctance to fly in an airplane.

"Love, you know as well as I do that international port-key is not safe for young children. And before you start on the floo system, I don't care what you or anyone else thinks, I do not think it's remotely safe for a young child to spend that much time spinning and ingesting ashes! If your so insistent then you take the blasted port-key and I'll travel with all of OUR children by myself and we will see you at the castle!"

Severus had never been accused of being a man lacking in intelligence so he knew better than to argue with his husband. He knew from experience that his temper would flare easily at this stage of his pregnancy. He also knew that this particular trip was having more of an effect on his husbands emotions than any of the others had. This was the trip that would be their last for some time to come.

Albus was well past the phase where people would say he was getting on in his age, and had finally been convinced to retire. It came as quite a surprise when Albus appointed Severus and not Minerva as his successor. While honored, it also meant many changes for his family. No longer would they be able to travel back to their Unicorn Alley home as they had every summer since the triplets were born. Now they would reside in the castle year round and giving up their sanctuary was having an enormous effect on Harry's already frazzled emotions.

Pulling his husband into his arms he tried to calm him down.

"I am sorry. I did not intend to upset you. I have just never felt comfortable in something that can fly with no magic involved preventing it from crashing. I know it is safer for you and the children than any other form of traveling such a great distance."

Having calmed down Harry turned and started to escort the children onto the plane. Having learned his lesson from his first trip with just him and Teddy, Harry insisted on traveling in first class, claiming it was better for the children to have the extra room for such a long trip.

He thought about his family and the life they've lived as he got the children buckled in and sat in his own seat with their youngest two children seated between him and his husband.

Teddy was twelve now and had finally learned control of his Metamorphmagus powers. He would be starting his second year at Hogwarts in a few days, having been sorted into Gryffindor like his father and adoptive father before him. A few years ago, they had sat Teddy down and told him about his parents. At first he was hurt and confused. Then he became fearful that his dad and papa would abandon him since they had their own children. Severus had really saved the day when he told Teddy that he may not be their child by blood but he was special because they chose to raise him. He meant so much to them that they chose to take him in and no matter what he would always be their son.

The triplets; Veridian, Krymsin, and Cyan, had always been a handful. Harry knew that they would be sorted into Slytherin. They were much to sly and conniving to belong to any other house. They had definitely spent too much time around their Uncle Draco.

Two years after the triplets, the family welcomed Caydin James into the family. His namesake would probably be rolling in his grave to see him. Caydin was more like Remus than James. He was sure to be a Ravenclaw with as much reading and studying as he did. While two years younger, he had surpassed the triplets in their muggle education.

When Caydin was four the family again welcomed a new addition. Well two actually. Dyson Severus and Dante Albus. At five they were driving their parents crazy. They were the epitome of the Marauders reincarnated. Severus was positive that he would be replacing at least half of the teaching staff by the time the twins graduated from Hogwarts. Many had either taught or been in school with the Marauders or the Weasley twins and he wasn't sure that they would survive the Dumbledore-Snape twins.

Harry rubbed his bulging belly. By Halloween they would be welcoming another set of twins. These little ones were the result of a birth control potion that obviously failed and Dante and Dyson were the result of a contraception charm that failed as well. After much discussion and finally coming to an agreement, Severus began working on a potion that would in effect make Severus sterile. The hope was that this potion would finally allow them to stop expanding their family. At seven children and two more on the way, they had certainly passed the Weasley family in offspring and it was time to stop. They loved each of their children dearly but were worried that having more children would deprive the others of some attention. The most important reason being that Harry's healers were concerned about him being able to survive another pregnancy. They had been warned that attempting another pregnancy could kill Harry. As it was, when they arrive at the castle, Harry would be placed on bed rest for the remainder of his pregnancy with him and the twins being closely monitored.

Despite the danger to his health, Harry thanked Merlin for each and everyone of his children. He had always wanted a family and now he had one larger than he could have ever imagined. Certainly much larger than he thought he would have when he took Teddy and fled Britain. He still found it hard to believe how much their lives had changed since that day.

Draco was still an important part of their family. He had settled down a few years ago and married a witch named Monique and a wizard named Zachariah. Monique and Zachariah had only recently begun dating when they stumbled into Draco at a club. The triad had been going strong ever since with four children of their own. Lucius had been outraged when he learned that not only was Monique carrying a child, so was Draco. The ensuing argument put an end to the last of the communication that Draco had with his father.

Not long after that, The Daily Prophet had issued out the news that Lucius Malfoy had taken his own life. Oddly enough, he'd chosen muggle means to do it by. The article stated that a house elf discovered his master slumped over his desk with a gun that had fallen from his hand after shooting himself in the head. Aurors reported that he had a massive amount of alcohol in his system and would probably have succumbed to alcohol poisoning if he hadn't taken his own life.

Lucius left the world a bitter lonely old man. After the fall out that he had with Severus, he was seen gracing the gossip pages with many different witches and wizards, none of which ever lasted long. Long enough to satisfy his itch yet never long enough to be called a relationship. In fact, hardly anyone could tolerate to be around him. His normally snobbish attitude had become increasingly brutal towards the end until he was left entirely alone.

Harry awoke to his husband nudging his shoulder. He hadn't even realized that he had fallen asleep during his musings.

"Harry, love, time to wake up. We'll be landing shortly."

"Thanks Sev."

When the plane touched down, they quickly hustled the children to the port-key terminal. Everyone was tired and cranky after such a long flight and Harry was itching to remove the glamour he was using to cover his stomach. Magic may have become more open in the past decade but Harry still didn't feel comfortable with all the stares a pregnant man would receive.

When all of their family was finally huddled around the port-key, Severus muttered the activation word and with a tug of the navel they were swept off to Hogwarts. As soon as their feet touched the ground, Severus quickly reached out to grab his husband to keep him from falling.

"I don't think I'll ever get the hang of that."

"Well at least it is the last time you will have to travel that way while pregnant. Welcome home love."

Looking up a smile lit Harry's face. Up ahead were the gates that would lead him and his family up to his home. Hogwarts. Yes, he loved their home in Unicorn Alley but Hogwarts would always be his home. This is where he learned about magic. Where he made friends and enemies. This is where his family started. That's what really made this his home. His family had started here, and his children were growing up here. He was sure that someday he'd be walking across the grounds with not only his children but also his grandchildren. His smile grew a little bigger at that thought. He'd made a lot of mistakes in his life but he'd never regret the ones that led to him having his family. His family was what kept him going even in the darkest times of his life. His family kept him moving on. To him, family was everything.

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Thank you to everyone that read and reviewed this story.


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